First Impressions
by Autumn Fury
Summary: An East Coast kidnapping turns out to be more than it appears when it is believed that the kidnappers have made their way to Los Angeles. Special Agent Rebecca Reed is sent to assist the team on the case and immediately clashes with Colby Granger.
1. Chapter 1

**First Impressions  
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**by: Autumn Fury**

**Prologue**

Special Agent Colby Granger looked at the clock in his car; he was running late for work. After quickly pulling into the parking garage of the FBI building, he began searching for a place to park.

Frustrated, he said aloud, "Great, nowhere to park."

He drove around for a few minutes until he found an empty spot. As he pulled in, someone beeped at him. When Colby turned off his car and got out he noticed a vehicle had stopped behind him and the woman inside was trying to get his attention.

"Hey!" she yelled out her window. "_I_ was going to park there."

"I'm sorry, miss," he said looking down at his watch. "I'm kind of running late for work."

"Yeah, and where am I supposed to park?"

"Ah." Colby began looking around. "Why don't you try over there." He pointed to another section of the garage.

"Why don't _you_ try over there?" the woman suggested.

Colby gave her a funny look and said, "Because _I'm_ late for work." He turned on his heel and ran to the elevator.

The woman let out an exasperated sigh and drove off to try and find a parking place.

**Chapter 1**

"Look who finally decided to show up for work," Liz Warner teased as Colby came running into the conference room.

"Funny," Colby replied with a smirk, but he didn't sound amused.

Liz grinned. She was always on the look out for a chance to pick on him.

"Sorry I'm late, Don," Colby apologized to his boss, Don Eppes. "I had a hard time finding a place to park."

"Yeah, you know I keep trying to get them to give us reserved parking spaces, but they won't do it," Don replied with a smile.

Colby took a seat and Don began briefing them on their next case.

"Alright, this one's a little unusual," he said. "Richard McCarthy's son was kidnapped over a month ago and the kidnappers have demanded 2.5 million dollars as a ransom."

"Hang on a sec," David Sinclair said interrupting. "Richard McCarthy? As in the big businessman, Richard McCarthy?"

"The one and only," Don answered.

"Then why are _we_ handling the case? Doesn't he live on the East Coast?"

"In Virginia," Don replied. "But the FBI team that has been working this case has solid evidence which makes them believe the kidnappers brought McCarthy's son here to L.A."

"So, do we have any other information on what happened?" Megan Reeves asked.

"The FBI field office in Virginia is sending us their lead agent on the case to help us out. In fact," he said looking down at this watch. "She should've been here by now."

"Yeah, well, she would have been here sooner, but some guy took her parking place," a woman's voice answered from behind them.

Everyone turned around to see a woman in her early thirties standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, parking is an issue sometimes," Don said. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Rebecca Reed."

"Please," Rebecca said with a smile. "Just call me Becca."

Becca stood at five feet five inches, with straight dark brown hair that fell a little beyond her shoulders and bangs that swept to the left. Her vibrant green eyes shone as she smiled.

"This is my team," Don said pointing to everyone as he introduced them. "Megan Reeves, Liz Warner, David Sinclair and Colby Granger."

When Don introduced Colby, Becca realized that he was the same man she had yelled at in the parking garage and she felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. A smile crept onto Colby's face and everyone, except for Becca, looked at him quizzically.

"I was the _'guy'_ who stole Miss Reed's parking place," he admitted.

"Seriously, Granger," Liz said. "Where were those good Idaho manners you're always bragging about?"

"Ah, I wasn't thinking about manners at that moment," he said.

Liz raised her eyebrows in amusement and looked from Colby to Becca and then back again.

Colby realized what she was probably thinking and quickly added, "I was thinking about my boss firing me when I showed up late for work."

Liz smiled and shook her head, obviously not believing him.

"Alright," Don said, bringing everyone's attention back to the case at hand. "Becca, why don't you fill us in on what you know."

Becca cleared her throat and moved to the front of the room.

"I'm sure you all know about Richard McCarthy," she began and pulled up a picture of him on the screen. "He's the owner of Tritax Computer Software and Security, which use to belong to his father, but a few years ago it was passed down to him. He has made _a lot_ of money from his company. McCarthy and his wife, Mary, have a five year old son named Sam."

She pulled up a picture of McCarthy's wife and son and continued talking.

"Now, one thing that isn't generally known about McCarthy is that he holds some pretty radical political views, but because of his business he keeps all of that fairly hush, hush. The only reason _we_ know is because we're the FBI," she added with a smile. "Now almost two months ago, while the McCarthy's were at an amusement park, two men dressed in clown costumes approached them. They offered to make a balloon pet for Sam, but obviously that wasn't really their intent. They knocked out Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy and grabbed Sam."

"Clowns," Megan said shaking head. "No wonder almost every kid in America has an unexplainable fear of them."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"We have footage from three different security cameras at the park," Becca continued. "They drove off in a black 1996 Renault Escape minivan, which they stole. They ditched it two days after the kidnapping and picked up a new car. Through security cameras and tips we have tracked them all the way across the country to here. We think they showed up in town about four days ago. Last we knew, they were driving a brown 1998 Subaru Outback, but they could have changed cars by now. These guys seem to know what they are doing. They have several different aliases and have been able to avoid capture so far. I have a copy of the file for everyone so you can refer to it whenever needed. There are also composite sketches of our two kidnappers included in the file."

"Alright, we'll get a description and picture of Sam McCarthy printed up and circulated throughout L.A.," Don said. "Are there any places in particular we should start looking for the kidnappers?"

Becca shook her head. "No. Like I said, these guys are good, so we need to look everywhere. Hotels, empty houses for sale, abandoned warehouses…" Becca let her sentence trail off, knowing she could go on naming all of the possibilities.

"Hey, maybe our kidnappers left behind some sort of trail that Charlie could find with one of his algorithm things," Colby suggested.

"Yeah, okay," Don said. If Becca thought her day couldn't get any worse, she was wrong, because Don added, "Colby, why don't you and Becca go talk to Charlie."

Colby opened his mouth, about to say something, but then thought better of it.

The two unwilling partners left the room and made their way down to the parking garage.

"Who's Charlie?" Becca asked curiously.

"Don's little brother, he's a mathematical genius and a professor at CalSci," Colby replied as they stepped into the elevator.

"Oh," she said not fully understanding. "And he can help us how?"

"Well, he's got top level security clearance with the NSA and so he lends us a hand on cases. He does math stuff to help us find probable locations, track suspects…things like that," Colby replied.

"I've never heard of anyone doing that before, but hey, if it works."

Colby raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "It does."

The elevator doors opened and they made their way to one of the black Dodge Chargers. Colby unlocked the car and they climbed in.

Neither of them spoke as they drove out of the parking garage and onto the street. After driving for a while in silence Colby looked over at Becca. He could tell that the gears inside of her head were spinning like crazy as she most likely was going over details of the case. It didn't seem as if she was going to talk to him, so he took it upon himself to try and smooth over their rocky beginning.

"I think we kind of got off on the wrong foot," he said.

"I'm not the one who stole the parking place!" she snapped and immediately regretted her callous response.

His eyebrows rose in surprise as he shook his head and looked back at the road. _So much for trying to be nice. How did **I** get stuck working with her?_

**A/N: I hope you liked it. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update, as I am starting college soon****, but I will try**** to be good about updating.**

**I want to thank **Riter's Fury** (my sister) for her creative help.**_  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Colby and Becca found the door to Charlie Eppes' office open, but they knocked anyway.

"Colby," Charlie said, greeting him with a smile as he stood up from his chair. "Come on in."

"Hey, Charlie," Colby replied as he and Becca made their way into the office. "How's it going?"

"Ah, not too badly. I've been working on the Cognitive Emergence Theory lately and I think I might have made a breakthrough," he said excitedly.

Colby listened to Charlie and as usual, just nodded his head, having no other reply to make. Colby noticed that Becca's face had molded into one of confusion and he chuckled at the sight. He thought it made her look kind of cute actually. "Charlie, this is Agent Rebecca Reed."

"It's very nice to meet you, Rebecca," Charlie said shaking her hand. "I'm Charlie."

"It's nice to meet you, too," she replied. "And please, call me Becca."

"Alright, Becca. So you work for the FBI?"

"Yes, I do."

"Becca is here from Virginia," Colby informed Charlie. "She's the lead agent on a kidnapping case we're working on."

"Really?" Charlie said a little surprised. "I hope you don't take offense by this, but you just seem a little young to be a lead agent."

Becca smiled and said, "None taken and thank you for that, but I am in fact thirty-two."

"So, I guess you two are here concerning the case?" Charlie asked.

Becca looked at Colby and waited for him to answer. She still wasn't sure how a mathematician could help them.

"Yeah," Colby replied. "We were wondering if you could follow the path of the kidnappers and maybe tell us a few of their next probable locations."

"Ah, sure, do you have the data I would need?"

"Oh, yeah. We've got data," Colby said handing Charlie the thick file.

"Umm, okay." Charlie eyed the file closely. "I hope there's enough here."

Becca's eyes grew wide with surprise as she looked at him. _That file is already as thick as a phone book,_ she thought._ How much more data does he want?_

Colby saw the look of surprise on her face. "Charlie likes as much information as he can get."

"I guess so," she replied.

"Yes," Charlie added. "The more data, the more accurate my results will be. I'll take a look at this and see what I can come up with. It might take me a day or two, but when I'm done I'll come by the office."

"Sounds good," Colby said and turned to leave.

"It was nice meeting you, Becca."

"Nice to meet you too," she replied.

"So," Colby said to Becca as they walked to the car. "How do you like our resident math genius?"

"He seems very nice."

The two rode in silence the entire way back to the FBI building. When they arrived and went inside they found Don and David sitting in front of their computers.

"Oh good, you two are back," David said smiling. "Just in time to sit down in front of a computer and search till you drop."

"Yeah, 'cause that's why I joined the Bureau," Colby replied sarcastically. "Pardon me for a moment while I get all excited." He flopped down in his chair and let out a long sigh.

David laughed at his partner's remark and turned back to his computer.

"So, Becca," Don said. "While you're here you can go ahead and take that desk over there." He pointed to desk right across from Colby.

_Why did it have to be __**that**__ desk?_ Becca thought. _Probably because every other female agent that comes here begs to sit near the 'cute agent'. Augh._ She put a smile on her face anyway and said "thanks" before sitting down at her temporary desk.

"Where's Megan and Liz?" Colby asked looking around.

"They went to circulate the photos of Sam McCarthy," Don answered. "What'd Charlie have to say?"

"Ah, he's gonna look at the data and see what he can come up with. It might take him a day or two, but he said he'll come by when he's done."

Becca's i-Phone began to vibrate and she pulled it out from her pocket. As soon as she saw the name on the screen she immediately hit the "ignore" button and put her phone on the desk. A few moments later it beeped, indicating she had a new voicemail message. She stared at the phone for a long time, but finally picked it up and listened to the message.

"_Hey, Babe. Please call me."_

Becca deleted the message and tossed her phone back onto her desk. She grabbed the mouse for the computer and started looking for leads on the kidnappers, but no matter how hard she tried to focus all she could think about was the message she had just received. She rubbed her forehead in an attempt to wipe it from her memory as she felt anger and frustration rise up inside of her.

"You okay?" Colby asked her.

She turned to look at him. "What?"

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

Becca stared at him skeptically, but didn't get the chance to answer as her phone began vibrating once more. Again she grabbed her phone, saw the same name on the screen and hit "ignore". Her phone beeped again and she took a deep breath before listening to the message.

"_It's me again. Can you please just call me? I miss you, Babe. Love you."_

That was it. Becca stood up from her chair abruptly and headed for the elevator. She made her way quickly outside and found a relatively private place to stand. She pulled up a number on her phone and hit "call". It only rang once before it was answered.

"_Hey! It's my girl!"_

"You need to stop calling me," Becca said, not bothering to be cordial. "And I'm _not_ your girl."

"_I miss you."_

"I'm serious. I have enough on my plate right now to think about without you leaving unwanted messages on my phone every five seconds."

"_Becca, I'm sorry. How many times do I have to say it? What more do you want from me?"_

"I want you to leave me alone," she said firmly.

"_You know I can't do that. I love you too much to do that."_

"Save it, Chase! Now, stop calling me!"

"_But, Becca-"_

"I mean it!" she snapped. "Leave me alone!" Becca ended the call and took a deep breath. It didn't help much, but she had to get back to work.

When she arrived back at her desk Don looked at her with concern. "Hey, everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah…everything's fine," she lied and turned to the computer on her desk.

When the day finally came to an end Becca didn't really want to leave, but she was exhausted. She grabbed her phone and stood up from her chair. She went into the locker room to get her purse and found Megan and Liz gathering their things.

"You leaving?" Megan asked.

"Yeah," Becca sighed. "How about you two?"

"Yep, it's been a long day," Liz answered.

"Tell me about it." A small smile crept onto Becca's face and she grabbed her purse. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," Megan and Liz chorused.

When Becca reached the elevator she was annoyed to find that she wasn't the only one who would be taking it. _I thought he already went home?_ she thought as Colby came walking toward the elevator. _Why did he have to show up at the elevator now?_

After a moment of staring at each other Colby finally reached out and pushed the "down" arrow next to the elevator. They stood in awkward silence until the doors opened. Becca slowly stepped in, but Colby hesitated a moment.

_After the way she was this morning is it even safe to be in the same elevator as her?_ he thought, but decided to chance it and walked in.

They stayed in complete silence as they traveled down to the parking garage and continued in that manner until they began walking their separate ways to their vehicles.

"So," Colby said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Becca replied, ending their conversation as she turned her back and walked away.

* * * Numb3rs * * *

Becca stood in her hotel room that night and looked around. It definitely wasn't home. She sighed and began rifling through her bag, looking for her pajamas and tooth brush. She finally found them and headed for the bathroom.

When she came out a half hour later, she pulled back the covers of the bed and lay down upon the crisp, white sheets. Her head sank into the fluffy, white pillow and she began to think about the events of her day.

Only one day in California and so far she had yelled at some random – and she had to admit, very handsome – guy, started working with a new team _and_ met a mathematical genius who helped on FBI cases. None of that mattered though because she still wasn't any closer to finding the kidnappers.

She couldn't bear to think of where poor little Sam McCarthy was at that very moment and what he was feeling. He was a five year old boy who hadn't seen his family in almost two months.

_Family._

Her thoughts drifted to her own family back home in Virginia. She had only been gone for a day, but she missed them already. Granted, even when she _was_ in Virginia she lived in her own apartment, but just being near them, knowing they were close always made her feel warm, happy…safe.

Her eyelids grew heavy and she fell into a fitful sleep.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the reviews! They make me smile and get really excited! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Beebeeep. Beebeep. Beebeep._

Colby rolled over and smacked the "snooze" button on his alarm clock. Lacing his fingers together behind his head, he laid it back on his pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

White ceilings were so boring; it reminded him of his personal life; empty and lifeless, which was the complete opposite of his job. He spent his days chasing and interrogating suspects, and being shot at for a living.

Colby's thoughts turned to Rebecca Reed, or "Becca" as she liked to be called. He didn't usually have trouble interacting with people, but for some reason he seemed to upset her whenever they talked. Then he remembered something his dad always used to say:

"_Women; can't live with 'em, can't get your laundry done without 'em."_

Colby cleared his throat as he threw his off covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts and stood up. Colby grabbed a blue t-shirt and pulled it on as he walked out of his room and into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and slapped some peanut butter on a piece of toast before heading out for a morning run. When he returned, he decided to make a "second breakfast" of eggs and sausage.

After he finished eating, Colby looked at his watch and realized he had to leave in five minutes if he wanted to be on time for work. He took a quick shower and hurriedly pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a gray t-shirt. Grabbing his black jacket and car keys, he ran out to his car and climbed in. Pulling out onto the street he looked at the clock on the dashboard. The time on the clock put a smile on his face.

"I made it with one minute to spare," he said to himself. "And I even remembered to lock the door to my apartment."

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Arriving at the office, Colby found the whole team, plus Becca, already there. Before going to his desk, he made his way into the break room for a much-needed cup of coffee. Colby was greeted with a smile from his partner.

"Hey, man," David said.

"Hey, David," Colby nodded.

"You want some coffee?"

"Yes," Colby replied emphatically.

"Someone didn't get his coffee this morning," David chuckled as he poured a cup and handed it to his partner.

"Yeah, I kinda lost track of time and didn't get the chance to make any."

David quirked an eyebrow and stared at his partner. "What were you doing?"

"Thinking."

"Uh-oh. Don't hurt yourself."

Colby laughed and took a sip of his coffee. He sighed in contentment and looked out the window of the room. His eyes fell on Becca as she sat at her desk, probably searching for leads.

"Does she seem a little distracted to you?" Colby asked.

"Huh? Who?"

"Becca," Colby said, tuning back to face David.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "Maybe 'distracted' isn't quite the right word. 'On edge' might be a little better."

"She has been leading the investigation on this kidnapping case for almost two months. That would be enough to put anyone 'on edge'."

"Yeah, I know, but it's something else."

"What, you mean the fact that she doesn't seem to like you?" David asked with a smirk.

"Yeah. What's up with that?" Colby snorted. "Every time I try to be nice she flips out on me. I don't understand her."

"A word from the wise, my friend, don't try and understand women. It only makes things more complicated and you more frustrated."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Colby asked.

David was silent for a moment as he thought. "It sounded more profound in my head."

Colby rolled his eyes and David let out a laugh.

Just then, Don walked into the break room. "Hey, Colb," he said.

"Hi, Don. What's up?"

"I have a job for you."

Colby looked at David with a concerned look and then back at his boss. "Umm…okay," he answered reluctantly. "What is it?"

"I need you to go and circulate the pictures of the McCarthy kid.

Colby nodded in acknowledgement and looked to David to see if he was ready to go with him. "You ready, David?"

"Ah," Don said, interrupting. "I need David here. You're gonna take Becca with you."

"What? Wait a second. Didn't Megan and Liz do that yesterday?" He didn't sound at all pleased.

"They were only able to circulate half of them, so I need you to finish the rest. Is that a problem?"

"No, but why can't Megan or Liz come? Or I can even go by myself," Colby offered.

"I want you to take Becca so she can get out of the office and get acquainted with the area a bit. Now quit complaining and get outta here."

Don walked out of the room, ending the conversation as Colby shot David a desperate look.

"David," Colby began, but David held up a hand.

"No," he replied, a smile touching the corners of his mouth.

"Why not?"

"Would you like me to list the reasons alphabetically or in order of significance?"

"Oh come on, David," Colby pleaded. "Don't you owe me a favor or something?"

"Ah, no. _You_ owe _me_ a favor," David chuckled as he got up from his char and made his way to the door.

"Are you seriously going to leave me with her?"

David tried to bite back his laughter, but failed miserably, and hurried out the door, leaving behind an unhappy Agent Granger. Colby looked out the window to where Becca still sat at her desk and let out a long sigh.

"Just stay positive, Colby," he told himself. "Who knows, maybe after a good night's rest she'll be bit more civil toward you."

He walked out of the break room and over to where Becca sat.

"Hey," he said, plastering a smile in his face. She lifted her head, but didn't look him in the eye. "Don needs me to finish circulating the rest of the flyers about Sam McCarthy and-"

"Yeah, he told me," she said interrupting him. She stood from the chair and grabbed her coat off the back of it. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Becca headed for the elevator, not even checking to see if he was following her. Colby saw David trying to hold back a laugh and pointed a finger at him.

"Not funny," he said to David and quickly grabbed the flyers before hurrying after Becca.

"What's that all about?" Megan asked David, having observed the exchange between the two partners.

Through his laughter, David managed to say, "Don paired Colby and Becca again."

"And that's funny because why?" she asked not understanding.

"Never mind. I guess it only makes sense to Colby and me."

Megan nodded slowly and sat down at her desk. Sometimes it was just better not knowing what David and Colby found humorous.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Colby and Becca drove in an awkward silence; or at least that's how Colby saw it. Becca seemed perfectly content with not speaking at all. At first, Colby didn't mind either, but now it was just ridiculous. He decided to chance it and start a conversation, or at least try.

He cleared his throat and said, "So, I hope you were able to rest well last night."

"Nope," Becca answered brusquely.

"Oh." _Great, so much for her being more civil,_ he thought. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"No need to be."

Colby bit his tongue and they continued in silence for a little while longer until he finally spoke again.

"So do you have family in Virginia, or is it just you there?"

Becca turned her head slightly to look at him and gave him a skeptical look. "My family is there, too," she answered slowly.

"Do you have any siblings?"

_Why the heck do you wanna know? And why do you have to ask so many questions?_ "Yeah, I have siblings."

Colby waited for her to expound on that answer, but when she didn't, he asked, "Brothers? Sisters?"

_I can't do this._ "Look, can we just drive in silence?"

Her tone told Colby that it wasn't a suggestion and he nodded his head. "Ok, if that's what you want."

"It is."

Becca turned and looked out the window, watching the buildings as they passed by in a blur. It was somehow calming to her.

When they drove into the east part of town, Colby found a place to park and they exited the vehicle.

"Megan and Liz didn't get to this area, so we'll start here."

Becca only nodded in response and they began making their way into all the different shops. They talked to each of the owners and explained the situation, leaving a flyer with a picture and description of Sam McCarthy to be hung up. By the time they finished handing out all of the flyers it was lunchtime and Colby was starving.

"Do you wanna grab some lunch before we go back to the office?" he asked her.

"I don't care."

_Why does she insist on giving such short, undecipherable answers?_ Colby thought. "Ok, well, I'm hungry, so why don't we grab a sandwich and we can take it back to the office."

"Sure."

They climbed into the black Dodge Charger and drove to one of Colby's favorite delis in town. When they arrived there, he insisted on buying her lunch.

"Just consider it a peace offering for stealing your parking space yesterday," he said smiling.

_I hope he doesn't think that smile is going to make me melt, 'cause if he does, he's got another thing coming to him._ "Fine," she answered reluctantly. "But this is just a one time deal."

"Got it." Colby smiled at her again and paid for the sandwiches before they left. "I will have you know that this deli makes some of the best subs in town," he said as they pulled out into the flow of traffic.

"Really?"

"Yep. You won't ever eat one as good as this ever again."

Becca's phone began to ring and she said, "We'll see about that."

Colby let a small smile touch the corners of his mouth. She seemed to be warming up to him a bit.

Becca pulled her phone out of her coat pocket and looked at the name on the screen. _I told you to stop calling, Chase,_ she thought.

Colby saw a dark cloud cover her face and asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

She didn't look fine, but he left her alone. They drove back to the office in complete silence. He decided that whatever was bothering her he needed to let it go, because she wasn't willing to have a conversation with him, let alone accept his help.

Arriving back at the FBI office Colby parked in the garage and they climbed out of the car. Riding up to their floor in the elevator, Colby decided to break the silence once more.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, obvious concern in his voice.

"Yes!" she snapped. "And I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to pry into my life!"

As if on cue, the elevator doors opened and Becca stormed out.

"And I thought she was starting to warm up to me," Colby sighed.

He walked out of the elevator and over to his desk. David was sitting at his own desk and looked up when he saw Colby.

"So, how did it go?" he asked in a low voice.

Colby glared at him and said, "Don't ask."

"That good, huh?"

"Oh yeah." Colby flopped down in his chair and let out a long sigh.

"What's in the bag? Lunch?"

Colby almost forgot he was still holding the bag that contained Becca and his lunch. He opened the bag and pulled out Becca's sandwich.

"Here," he said handing it to David. "Find Becca and give this to her. It's her lunch."

"Why don't you give it to her?" David replied, a faint smile playing about the corners of his mouth.

"Seriously, David? Don't make me throw this at you."

David laughed and stood up, taking the sandwich from his partner before walking away.

Colby let out another sigh as he rubbed a hand over his face. He heard footsteps approach him and when he opened his eyes he found Don standing in front of him with a grin on his face.

Colby gave his boss an evil look and said, "What?"

The smile on Don's face grew as he answered, "David tells me that you and Becca are really hitting it off."

"That man has a death wish doesn't he?"

Don chuckled.

"Seriously, Don," Colby said. "If you keep pairing me with that woman I think I'm gonna go crazy."

"Not possible."

"Why not?"

"Because you're already crazy," Don grinned.

The look on Colby's face was certainly not one of amusement, which only gave his boss all the more satisfaction.

"If anyone has anything of _importance_ to tell me," Colby said turning toward his computer, "I'll just be sitting here searching for leads."

Don patted Colby's shoulder and chuckled once again before walking away.

**A/N: After the long awaited arrival, chapter 3 is finally here! I'm so sorry for not posting it sooner. I have been really busy with homework and classes and I was suffering from writers block. But I came home for Thanksgiving break and lo and behold, the writers block has lifted! **

**I want to say a special thank you to my mom and sister (Riter's Fury) for helping me go through my chapter and helping me edit it. I hope to have a least one more chapter up before my break ends...but we'll see how that goes.**

**Thank you again for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Becca sat once again at her desk, this time monitoring the bank accounts for the aliases of the kidnappers. She checked to see if they used their credit cards since showing up in L.A. and grew frustrated when she found there hadn't been any activity. She printed out all the information to the accounts and walked over to the next cubical.

"Hey, Don," she said. "I was just checking the bank accounts for the kidnappers' alias, but there hasn't been any activity."

"Nothing at all?" he replied.

Becca shook her head and placed the papers she just printed out on his desk. "No, not since they've been in L.A. They probably know that we can gain access to all their accounts, so who knows if they'll even use their cards again. We can keep tabs on the accounts in the hope that the kidnappers will use one of them, but it's a long shot."

"Yeah, but long shots always seem to have the best results, right?" Colby said, walking up behind Becca.

She turned around slowly to face him. "I don't know. Do they?" she asked in a flat tone and walked away.

Colby spread his arms wide and looked at Don in confusion. "What did I say?"

Don bit back a smile. "I don't know, but you better watch yourself."

"That's what I've _been_ doing," he replied.

"You got something for me?"

"Ah, yeah." Colby focused his mind on the task at hand. "I called the two places where the kidnappers stole cars from. They were small, low-end car lots and in both cases the owners didn't report the missing cars until twenty-four hours after they were stolen."

"Did you ask them about that?"

"Yeah. The first guy said he didn't notice the car was even missing and the other one said he was busy and just didn't get the chance to report it until the next day."

"Well, I think we both know those are lies. You don't own a small, cheap car lot and not notice you have a car missing. That's their profit, they're not just gonna let their cars be taken right out from under their noses like that."

Don stood from his chair and followed Colby back to his cubical. "Hey, Becca," Don said. Becca turned her attention from what she was doing and looked up at Don. "I need you to call your team back in Virginia and have them go question the owners of the car lots again," he said.

"What's up?" she asked. Don relayed to her what Colby found and she nodded in understanding. "When we questioned them they told us flat out that they didn't file their reports until twenty-four hours after the incident," she said, "But didn't really tell us why. What's your take on it?"

"How can you not file a report like that?" Don asked. "Either the owners were in on it, or the kidnappers threatened them. They were probably threatened, but it wouldn't hurt to check."

"Okay, I'll call my 'boys' and tell them to go have a 'nice little chat' with the owners again."

The sly grin on her face told Don that Becca knew how to get the job done. He nodded to her as she made her way passed him and to the conference room.

"Man, I'm glad she's on our side," Colby remarked as he sat down in his chair.

"Tell me about it," Don agreed.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca leaned against one of the tables in the conference room, waiting for the person on the other end of the line to pick up their phone. After a few rings she heard a man's voice say, "Becca! What's up?"

"Hey, Jason," she said. "You know the two car lots where the kidnappers stole the vehicles from?"

"Yeah. What about them?"

"I need you and Sam to go over there again." Becca explained the situation to her co-worker and finished by saying, "I need the two of you to go and have a 'nice little chat' with the owners." Becca could almost hear Jason grinning. "Not _too_ nice, though," she added.

"You got it, 'Boss'," he laughed.

Becca wasn't really his "Boss", but because she was the only woman on her team, the guys she worked with enjoyed teasing her.

"Thanks. How are things going there?"

"Not too bad. I'm absolutely loving being in charge in your stead," he teased.

"I'm sure you are, but don't get too use to it. It's not like I'm staying here."

"Good and I'll try not to enjoy it too much. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. And I'll be even better when this case is finally wrapped up."

"Won't we all," Jason chuckled. "Well, Sam and I will head over there in a bit and then call you when we have some news."

"Alright, thanks, Jason."

"No problem. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

Becca touched the "End" button on her screen and walked to Don's cubical.

"Okay, I called Jason, one of the guys I work with, and he's gonna take care of it," she said. "So, now we just wait, I guess."

"Sounds good. Thanks."

Becca nodded her head in acknowledgment before walking away.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca sat in the break room drinking a cup of tea when Megan walked in.

"Hey," Megan greeted her.

"Hi," Becca said.

"How's it going, Becca?" Megan asked, sitting down in the seat across from her.

Becca let out a long sigh before answering that question. "I just can't wait till we find the McCarthy kid and close this case. He's been away from home a long time. Too long."

"Don't worry, it'll all work out." Megan reached out and gave Becca's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks, Megan."

"No problem. So, other than the fact that this case is driving you crazy, how are you enjoying your time in L.A.?"

Becca let out a little laugh. "I like it."

"Good. And how are you enjoying working with us so far? I hope we aren't getting on your nerves too much," Megan asked with a smile.

"No, you aren't getting on my nerves, but it's definitely different though. Back home in Virginia, I'm the only girl on my team."

"What? You've gotta be kidding me."

"Not at all. I'm the only girl and I work with five other guys."

"I commend you. I can barely work with the three guys here," Megan joked.

A smile formed on Becca's face and she chuckled. "Yeah, it can be difficult sometimes, but I'm the only girl out of five siblings in my family too, so I'm use to handling a bunch of guys. And besides, you can never have too many brothers, right?"

Megan laughed. "You got that right. That just means you'll be extra protected."

"Yeah," Becca said. _But you're only protected if you listen to them,_ she thought.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

It had been over an hour since Becca had called Jason, but she hadn't heard back from him yet. She knew he would call as soon as they found anything out, but the waiting was getting on her nerves. She wasn't usually impatient when it came to waiting for information on a case. Then again, she had never worked on any case for this long either.

Her phone began to vibrate, causing her to jump slightly in her chair. She grabbed her phone and looked at the name on the screen, just to make sure.

_Jason Moffitt._

The waiting was finally over. A smile spread across Becca's face and she quickly answered her phone.

"What do you got for me?" she asked.

Jason laughed. "Well, 'hello' to you too."

"Sorry. Hey," she said and then quickly asked, "Now what did you find out?"

"Well, we had a chat with the two owners. Apparently the reason they both waited so long to file their reports was because the kidnappers threatened them. Just the usual."

"Oh."

"Yeah, sorry it wasn't anything more helpful."

"That's okay."

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No," Becca sighed. "I'll let you know if there is."

"I know you will. Take care, Becca."

"You too."

Becca ended the call and went to tell Don what she found out. As she was talking to Don, Liz hurried over.

"Hey, so Colby told me about how the car lot owners didn't report the missing cars for twenty-four. I started doing some checking around with the small, local car lots and I found one in Burbank that reported a stolen car just a few days ago." Liz placed the paper she had printed out on Don's desk and pointed to some information on it. "And it wasn't reported until twenty-four hours after it was stolen. Just like the other two."

"Alright, well why don't you and Megan head out there," Don said, "And you can talk to the owner."

"Got it." Liz turned on her heel and went to find Megan.

"Okay, I'm gonna see if I can find any more leads," Becca said.

"Have fun with that," Don replied with a smile.

"Yeah, I'll try." Becca walked away and let out a relieved sigh. _Thank, God, Don didn't insist on pairing me with Colby again._

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

"Do you want to be the lead, seeing as you found this place?" Megan asked Liz as she pulled their vehicle into the car lot in Burbank.

"Sure," Liz replied. "I don't know that we're going to be able find anything out, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?"

"That's what they say," Megan said.

The two women climbed out of the car and walked into the building.

"Hi folks," a man said from behind the counter. "How may I help you?"

Liz pulled out her badge and held it up for the man to see. "I'm Agent Liz Warren, FBI and this is Agent Reeves," she said pointing to Megan. "We'd like to ask you some questions about a car that was reported stolen from here a few days ago."

"Oh, well I'm Paul Rutledge, the owner. I gave my statement to the police when they came."

Megan and Liz both noticed the man seemed to be a little nervous as he spoke to them

"We're aware of that," Liz continued slowly, "But we wanted to see if there was anything else you could tell us."

"Umm, no," the man replied. "Nothing that I didn't already tell the police. Sorry."

Megan nodded slowly, thinking of the best way to approach her question. "Mr. Rutledge," she began, "You seem a little nervous about the topic of the stolen car. Is there anything that might cause you to feel this way? Maybe you saw something or some_one_?"

The owner began wringing his hands and looking around in a paranoid manner.

"Sir," Megan tried again, "Whoever took that car isn't going to stick around long enough to see if you squealed on him. It's alright, you can talk to us."

Paul Rutledge looked from Megan to Liz and back again. He swallowed hard and said, "It was two men. I was locking my shop up for the night when a pair of large, strong arms grabbed me from behind. Then the other person pulled the keys from my hand and told me if I reported the incident before twenty-four hours were up, they would hurt my family. The next thing I knew I was lying on the hard ground, waking up with a throbbing headache, and there was a huge bump on the back of my head."

Megan nodded in response and Liz said, "Well, I don't think you need to worry about them anymore, sir. Their problem isn't with you; they just wanted some breathing room before you called the cops on them."

"I hope you're right," the man replied.

"Can you give us a description of the two men?" Megan asked.

Paul Rutledge shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. It all happened so fast and I wasn't able to see them very well in the dark. All I can say for certain is that it was two men."

"Alright, well, thank you for your time, sir," Megan said.

The two women walked back out to their car and climbed in.

"Who does this?" Megan asked as she pulled out onto the street.

Liz looked over at her quizzically. "Who does what?" she said.

"Who kidnaps a seven year old boy, demands a ransom and then drives all the way across the country with him? It doesn't make any sense."

"Well, they must have had _some_ reason. Either that or they're smart, _crazy_ kidnappers."

Megan chuckled and after a short break in conversation she said, "Hey, what do you think of Becca?"

"What do you mean?" Liz asked, not understanding what kind of answer Megan was looking for.

"Nothing, just what do you think of her?"

"I like her. She's only been here for a day though, Megan."

"Yeah, I know, but there's just something about her."

"Like what?"

"It almost seems like there's something bothering her."

"Well you're the profiler, not me," Liz chuckled. "I haven't noticed anything other than the stress she's obviously facing from this case."

"Maybe I'm just over thinking it."

"Maybe."

They left the subject alone and finished their drive back to the office in conversation of a different sort.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

When Megan and Liz arrived back at the FBI, they found everyone staring at their computers.

"Find anything else?" Liz asked as she and Megan walked over to the cubicles.

"No," Colby replied, lacing his fingers together behind his head as he leaned back in the chair. "What about you two?"

"Well, it probably was our guys who stole the car. The owner told us what happened and how the two guys threatened him. But other than that, nothing," Megan said, disappointment in her voice.

"We still have that stuff that Charlie's looking over for us, too, don't forget," Don reminded them all.

"Well, I hope _he_ has some luck," Megan replied.

"Do you know what the probability is of any one person having luck?" a voice said from behind her.

Megan didn't have to turn around to know that it was Charlie, but she did anyway. "No, I don't know the probability and that's really creepy how you just happen to show up when we are talking about you."

Charlie smiled.

"Hey, Chuck," Don said.

"Don," Charlie replied, "You know I absolutely_ hate_ that nickname. Why do you insist on using it?"

Don smiled mischievously. "Because you hate it."

Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but David cut him off, knowing the two brothers could banter for hours. "Were you able to find anything, Charlie?"

"Ah, yeah, I was able to map out some of the probable locations," he answered.

Everyone got up and followed Charlie into the briefing room. He hooked his computer up to the big screen in the front of the room and pulled up an aerial map of L.A. that had little red dots scattered randomly across it.

"So this is what I was able to come up with, but I have to say that I'm not sure how accurate it is."

Becca looked at Charlie in disbelief. _I thought you knew what you were doing?_ she thought to herself.

As if reading her mind, Colby leaned over to her and whispered quietly, "Don't worry. Even Charlie's _hunches_ are usually dead on."

Becca didn't even acknowledge that Colby said anything, but instead kept her focus on what Charlie was saying.

"Now, there is an abandoned warehouse here, which could be a possibility." Charlie pointed to all of the locations as he went. "An empty house for sale over here; and a motel where they might have gotten a room here. As you can see, there are several other locations they could be at, but these are the top three."

Becca stood up and Charlie paused as she walked over to the screen.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No, I'm just thinking about this motel. There haven't been any hits on any of the credit cards, but they could have used cash. Has anyone thought to check the names on the registry lists of motels in the area?"

The team shook their heads and Becca hurried out of the room. Everyone exchanged confused looks and hurried after her. They found her sitting in front of her computer, clicking keys at a furious pace.

"Hey, Becca," Don said. "What's going on?"

"Well, what if the kidnappers did use cash. We wouldn't have a hit on their accounts, but they would most likely use one of their aliases to check into a motel." Becca typed in the aliases of the kidnappers and did a search of all the local motels' registrations. Everyone stood around waiting expectantly until finally the results came up. A smile spread across Becca's face. "One result," she said, pulling up the address for the motel.

"Alright, good," Don said. "David, call S.W.A.T., Colby, call LAPD. Tell them to meet us there. Let's roll guys."

The team began to make their way hurriedly to the elevator, but Becca paused for a moment in front of Charlie.

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

"You're welcome," he replied and she scurried off to the elevator.

**A/N: I hope you liked the chapter! And thank you all for continuing to read even when I hadn't posted in a while. I appreciate your reviews. Please keep them coming! I like knowing how you are all feeling about the characters and their interaction and the way the story is playing out. :)**

**Again, I would like to thank my mom and sister (Riter's Fury) for their advice on this chapter. I couldn't do it without them!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Tires screeched as the team skidded to a stop in front of the motel. S.W.A.T. was already there waiting for them. Everyone jumped out of their cars and swung into action.

"Alright," Don said to the S.W.A.T. commander. "I want some of your guys to come in with us and the rest of them I want up on rooftops." Within seconds S.W.A.T. was on their way to their positions and Don continued giving orders. "I want you and your men to stand guard outside," he said to the police officer in charge. "If anyone comes out, check 'em over for weapons and hold them. I don't want these guys getting away." The police officer nodded his head in understanding and moved to direct his men.

Don turned to check on how his team was doing and saw Becca walking over to him as she pulled on her Kevlar vest. "Hey," he said to her. "You ready for this?"

"I was born ready," she answered.

"Good."

"Here's the key card for the room our guys are in," Liz said has she walked up to Don and handed him the key card. "There in room number 322."

"Thanks," he said.

"Eppes," the S.W.A.T. commander called. "My men are in position."

"Alright, everybody, this is it," Don yelled.

The FBI team, along with S.W.A.T., made their way up the outside stairs that led to the third floor of the motel. They moved quickly down the hall to room 322 and paused for a moment in front of the door.

Colby looked over at Becca and was a little surprised to see that she betrayed no emotion on her face. She just stood to the side of the door, gun ready and a blank look across her face. Colby didn't notice anything else because Don stuck the key into the lock and stepped out of the way so S.W.A.T. could go into the room first.

"FBI," they all yelled as they moved into the room.

It was only one room, so they saw right away that it was empty.

Becca let out an exasperated sigh as she lowered her gun. "Darn it," she said frustrated, clenching the hair on the top of her head.

_There's the emotion,_ Colby thought to himself.

"David, Liz," Don said. "You two come with me. We'll go back outside and see if we can find anything. You three look around in here," Don added, indicating Colby, Megan and Becca.

Don, David and Liz headed back outside with S.W.A.T., leaving the three to scour the room.

Becca rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. "I don't know if I actually thought we were going to find them here or not," she said to no one in particular as she moved to look through the drawers, "But I still feel let down."

"That's how I felt about the whole car lot thing this morning," Megan replied. "But hey, you win some and you lose some, right?"

Becca let out a sad laugh. That was how this whole case had gone so far, minus the winning some.

"I don't see anything for a kid in this room," Megan said as she looked around.

Colby chuckled. "Megan, they're kidnappers. What did you expect?"

"No, she's right," Becca said shaking her head as she tried to understand, her furrowing. "It would make sense for them to have _something_ to keep the McCarthy kid relatively quiet and content."

"Yeah, it would make _sense_, but you two need to put yourselves in the shoes of the kidnappers. They aren't going to think of having something to keep a seven-year-old kid busy. That's ridiculous."

"Oh is it?" Becca questioned.

"Yeah, I mean come on, Becca, you work for the FBI. You should know that's not how kidnappers usually work." As soon as Colby said this he realized he probably spoke too soon.

"I'm sorry, are you calling me ignorant or was that meant to be a compliment in some strange way?"

Colby's brow furrowed in regret and he took a deep breath before he answered. "Look, I didn't mean it that way, okay? I'm sorry. I just meant that our knowledge of the way kidnappers usually work doesn't line up with the idea of them having a toy for that boy."

Becca cocked an eyebrow and gave Colby a look that meant she wasn't going to let this go. "I beg to differ," she said, an edge in her voice. "These guys seem to know what they're doing. They haven't messed up yet, so trust me when I say they would _know_ to have something for that little boy."

Megan raised her eyebrows and pressed her lips together as she looked from Colby to Becca and then back again. "Okay," she said, clearing her throat. "Why don't we just keep looking for evidence?"

Becca and Colby both gave each other one last look before they nodded and continued their search.

All three were silent for a while as they looked in every nook and cranny of the room. Becca and Colby both mulled over their "conversation" in their heads as they went, each wishing they had spoken differently.

Finally Colby reached behind the long bureau and pulled out a small, white card saying, "Hey, check this out," as he straightened up again.

"What is it?" Megan asked as she and Becca moved to get a closer look.

"It's a business card for a bar downtown," he replied. He turned it over and found writing on the back saying, _Meet Jefe at 2:30 on 10/18._ "Jefe. That's Spanish."

"It's the word for 'leader' or 'boss'," Becca said.

"Yeah," Colby replied. _Nice,_ he thought. _She knows Spanish, too._

"Isn't today the eighteenth?" Megan asked.

"Yep," Colby said glancing at his watch. "But it's almost four o'clock now. We've probably already missed them."

"Isn't that just always how it works," Becca sighed. "Well, I guess we should still go and check it out." She walked from the room and Megan and Colby followed behind her.

The three agents made their way down the two flights of stairs and walked over to where Don stood talking to one of the police officers.

"Don," Colby called. "We found something."

Don wrapped up the conversation with the officer and turned to face them as they came up to him. "Hey," he said. "What is it?"

"We found this business card for a bar downtown and it has writing on the back."

Don took the card and looked at it. He read the back of the card and looked up at Becca. "Alright," he said. "What do you think? Is this worth following or what?"

"Yeah, I think it's our best chance right now," she replied, nodding her head.

"Okay. Why don't you, David and Colby go and follow this lead. The rest of us will head back to the office and continue searching for other leads."

Becca groaned inwardly and reluctantly followed behind Colby.

David seemed to come from nowhere and fell in step with his partner. "You wanna drive?" he asked Colby as the three of them walked to the car.

"Nah, I'll let you," Colby replied with a smirk and tossed David the keys.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Neither of you like driving?" Becca asked.

"No, we like to drive," David answered. "It's just that we never know when we are going to get into a high speed car chase."

"And that matters why?" she questioned.

"Neither of us wants to be the one driving when we enter into a car chase which could result in the car getting damaged," Colby said, trying to explain.

"Umm, okay," she said as they climbed into the car and started driving downtown.

"Yeah," David said, "And Colby likes to make me drive so he can be the one who gets to jump out of the car and chase after a suspect on foot. If you haven't noticed already, Becca, Colby here likes to live on adrenaline," he teased.

"Oh yeah, that's a real accurate picture of me, David," Colby said sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm just saying, every time there is a guy to chase down, you're the first one after him."

"Oh, so that automatically makes me an adrenaline junkie? Maybe my reflexes are just quicker than yours. Did you ever think of that?"

David looked over at his partner. "So you're saying that I'm slow?"

"No, I'm saying that maybe you don't react as fast as I do to things, which is why you should stop looking at me and keep your eyes on the road."

David laughed and turned his attention back to his driving.

Colby shook his head and shifted in his seat so he could see Becca in the back. "Don't believe what David tells you," he said to her. "He likes to try and get me in trouble all the time." David smirked at that and Colby faced back to the front and said, "Hey, pay attention to the road, Sinclair."

Becca listened to the two partners carry on about who's reflexes were really that quickest. It reminded her of her team back home. They were always joking around with each other; or rather her teammates were always teasing _her_. Since she was the only girl, the guys she worked with always found something to pick on her about.

When they got to the bar David said, "Do you two want to go in and I'll wait out here in the car?"

Colby looked at Becca. He could tell she didn't like the idea at all, but she nodded her head in agreement anyway. "Sure," Colby said, turning back to face David. "We'll be right back."

Becca grabbed the composite sketches of the two kidnappers and they hopped out of the car and headed to the bar.

Inside, a man in his mid-forties, with flecks of gray scattered throughout his dark brown hair stood behind the long counter. "Hello," he said when they came in. "How may I help you?"

"I'm Special Agent Rebecca Reed, FBI, and this is Agent Granger," Becca said as both she and Colby pulled out their badges and showed them to the man. "We need to ask you a few questions."

"Oh, umm, well I'm Roger Freeman. The owner of the bar isn't here right now," he replied.

"That's alright," Becca said, placing the sketches on the counter. "Can you tell me if you have seen either of these men?"

Roger studied the sketches a moment before answering. "Ah, yeah," he said slowly. "Both of them were actually in here just a little while ago."

"They were _both_ in here? At the same time?"

"Yeah," Roger continued. "They came in here, met up with some other guy, had a couple of drinks and then they left."

Becca let her head drop just a little. They missed the perfect opportunity to not only catch the kidnappers, but also the "Boss", whoever he was.

Colby waited a moment to see if Becca was going to ask any more questions, but when she didn't he said, "Exactly how long ago did they leave?" He knew approximately what time they had arrived at the bar, but he wanted to know how long they had stayed.

"Ah, about twenty to twenty-five minutes ago."

"Twenty-five minutes?" Becca repeated, hoping she didn't sound too annoyed.

"Ah, yeah," Roger said. "They were in here at 2:30, but the third guy didn't come for about a half and hour. They didn't talk for too long, but after the third guy left they had a few more drinks and then left."

"Did you hear them say anything about where they might be going next?" she asked.

"No, I wasn't really paying attention. I was taking care of other customers and stuff."

"Alright, well thank you for your time," Becca said and headed for the door.

"Sorry I couldn't be of more help," Roger apologized.

"Don't worry, you _were_ helpful," Colby reassured the man.

"I don't know. That lady agent didn't seem too happy."

"Yeah, well she's been working one case for entirely too long. She's just overdue for a break."

"Ah, an overachiever, huh?"

"Yeah, something like that. Thank you for your help," Colby said and hurried out the door to find Becca. He saw her standing on the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the "walk" signal to light up before crossing the street. He made his way over to her. "Hey," he said. "Are you alright?"

Becca didn't answer him. She just continued starring at the red hand signal across the street. She wished she could ignore all of those stupid signal lights and just walk when she wanted to. She was sick and tired of waiting; in more than one respect.

"Alright, that's fine. I understand that you've been working this case for a while, so you don't need to be civil with me. I won't expect that from you." Colby paused a moment before continuing. "I've been through some rough spots in my years as an agent, so I can understand how tough things are sometimes. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm a pretty good listener."

Tears stung the back of Becca's eyes. She didn't know if it was because she was so exhausted and just wanted to sleep, or if it was because she couldn't believe how kind Colby was, but she knew which one she _didn't_ want it to be. Becca convinced herself that she was just tired and left it at that.

The "walk" signal lit up and the two agents hurried across the street to where the black Dodge Charger was parked.

David had seen them come out and had already started the car, so when they climbed in he pulled out into the flow of traffic. "Anything?" he asked.

"The man working at the bar said that both of our guys were just in there about twenty minutes ago," Colby replied.

"Both of them?" David said. "Who's watching the kid then?"

"I don't know, but we better find out," Colby said and looked at Becca.

She sat in the back seat of the car, staring silently out the window. Colby knew she was under an enormous amount of stress from this case. He wanted to help, but she wasn't too keen on getting help from him. He sighed and faced forward again.

Becca's phone rang and she shifted so she could pull it out of her pocket. Colby watched her out of the corner of his eye. He saw her look at the name on the screen and immediately hit "ignore". She put her phone back into her pocket and continued to stare out the window.

That was another thing with her. She seemed so mysterious and Colby couldn't figure her out. It seemed to him as if there was more than just this drawn out FBI case getting on her nerves. Exactly what the "more" was, he didn't know, and he wasn't sure if he ever would.

**A/N: Christmas break is finally here, so I hope to get multiple chapters posted before the next semester of school starts. ****I want to thank my mom and sister (Riter's Fury) again for reading through this chapter to make sure it made sense. :)**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of it!**


	6. Chapter 6

_The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down. ~Superchic[k] – Stand in the Rain_

**Chapter 6**

As soon as Becca stepped into her hotel room that night she dropped her purse on the floor and collapsed onto the couch. She felt exhaustion sweep over her like a wave in the ocean. She had been working non-stop on this kidnapping case from the beginning and it just kept dragging on.

Her phone rang and she reached into her purse to pull it out, hoping it was someone she actually wanted to talk to. When she looked at the caller's name she almost threw her phone across the room, but instead placed it gently down on the coffee table.

"Augh!" she yelled as she stood up from the couch. "Why do you have to keep calling me? Why can't you just leave me alone, Chase?"

Becca paced around the room for almost ten minutes before she could even manage to sit back down on the couch. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and resting her chin on her folded hands. She felt tears stinging her eyes and she hurriedly blinked them back. Becca knew she was so tired that if she let even one tear slip out she would be crying for the next week.

Becca looked around the room hoping to find something to distract her, but all she saw was loneliness. In that moment she desperately wanted to be a little girl again. She wished she could walk into the next room and see her mother's warm smile, feel her father's strong arms as he hugged her and feel her brother's protection. Becca felt a small tear roll slowly down her cheek and she wiped it away, consciously trying to stop the torrent of tears she felt coming.

Reaching forward, she grabbed her i-Phone off of the coffee table where she had placed it. She pulled up her parents' home number and touched "call". Becca sank fully into the couch, resting her head on the back of it and closing her eyes she heard the phone begin ringing. Her breathing slowed and the tears that were threatening to spill out nearly stopped by the time her mother, Cathleen, picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Cathleen answered.

Becca cleared her throat before saying, "Hey, Mom."

"Oh, Rebecca! How are you, dear?"

Becca hesitated, not knowing whether or not she should get into how she was feeling over the phone. She decided her mother would only worry about her more if she knew how her daughter was really feeling, so Becca told her mother only_ part_ of the truth.

"Well, I miss you all a lot, but I'm doing fine. Sorry I didn't get the chance to call you yesterday. This case, as you know, doesn't give me much down time."

"We miss you too, sweetie," her mother replied. "And it's okay. We know you're busy with that case. I worry about you working so hard all of the time, though. I hope you are eating well and taking care of yourself."

"Yeah, I am," she said.

"Good. So how is your case going?"

"Ah, we're still working on it," she laughed sadly.

"Well, I hope you're able to rap it up soon. Oh, your father says 'hi', and he loves you and your brothers also told me to say 'hi' if I talked to you."

"Be sure to tell them that I'm doing well and I say 'hi'."

"I will. How are things going with the people you are working with there?"

Becca thought for a minute. How _were_ things going? She seemed to get along with everyone. Well, everyone except Agent Granger, but that was another story and she was _not _going to get into. "Ah, it's going well. They are easy to work with and they have a lot of unique resources."

"Am I allowed to ask what that means?" Cathleen asked curiously.

Becca chuckled. "Yeah. Don Eppes, the guy in charge, has a younger brother named Charlie, who is a mathematician."

"What does a mathematician have to do with the FBI?"

"That was my first reaction too. He uses his advanced math skills to map out probable locations of suspects, and a bunch of other things that don't even make sense to me."

Just then Becca's phone began to beep, indicating she had a call waiting. She looked at the number hesitantly and read _Jason Moffit_.

"Are you there, dear?" her mother asked.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, Jason is calling me," Becca apologized.

"Oh, I will let you answer that then. It might be important. Tell him I said 'hi'."

"I will."

"I'm glad you called, Becca."

"Me too. Tell everyone I said 'hi' and that I love them."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye, Mom." Becca ended the call and answered the one she had waiting. "Hey, Jason."

"Hey, Becca."

"I was just talking to my mom. She said to say 'hi'."

"Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted."

"It's okay." Becca shifted on the couch so she could lie down. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just calling to see how the case is going."

Becca laughed. "Aha, sure you did."

"What? You think I'm lying? Becca, that hurts," Jason said, pretending to be offended.

She laughed again and said, "You're calling just to make sure I haven't gotten myself killed yet and you know it."

"Well, that might be part of it," he said, but when Becca was silent he admitted, "Okay, okay. So that's the _only_ reason why I called."

Becca grinned. "Thanks."

"For what?" he asked.

"For making me smile at the end of a very long day."

"Ah. Was it a tough one?"

"Define tough," Becca said and Jason chuckled. "Well, there were two "tough" aspects. First, if we had found a certain lead in this case sooner we probably would have been able to catch the kidnappers _and_ the man in charge."

"That would have been nice."

"Yeah."

Becca paused for a moment and Jason waited to see if she was going to continue. When she didn't, he prodded her gently. "What was the _second_ part of your tough day?"

Becca released a long sigh. "Chase called again today. Twice."

Jason noticed her tone change from lighthearted to the sound of someone who was wearied from a constant burden. "You didn't answer his calls did you?"

"No."

"Good. Don't give him the satisfaction. You know that's what he wants."

"I know, it's just…" Becca stopped and bit her bottom lip.

"It's okay to cry you know," Jason gently reminded her.

"I can't."

"Why not? This is something you need to grieve."

"Because if I let myself cry I won't be able to stop."

"You don't have to stop."

"Yes, I do. I have to get up and go to work tomorrow."

"Take the day off."

"You know I can't do that, Jason."

"Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Becca was quiet for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I just feel as if this whole thing is my fault somehow."

"What?"

"I mean, what if I had done something different, Jason? Maybe things would have worked out if I-"

"Becca," Jason interrupted, his tone growing firm. "You can't keep living like this. What Chase did was wrong and nothing you did or think you should have done will change that."

A heavy silence hung over them for a long time before either of them spoke again.

"Becca," Jason continued in a gentle tone, "You know I would never lie to you, right?"

"Yeah," she answered in a quiet voice.

"Okay, then believe me when I say that you are a beautiful, amazing, funny young woman and that guy is an idiot to think otherwise."

Becca knew Jason was right, but trying to make herself _believe_ that she hadn't been the problem was another story.

"So here's what's gonna happen," Jason said. "If you don't want to cry it out there, then you can wait till you come home and I'll be here whenever you're ready."

"Thanks, Jason. I appreciate it."

"No problem. Now go and get some sleep, Agent Reed," he ordered.

Becca allowed a tiny smile to turn up the corners of her mouth. "Okay. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Night, Becca."

"Goodnight, Jason."

Becca ended the call and sat still for a moment before standing up. She put her phone on the nightstand and quickly prepared for bed.

Before her head hit the pillow that night she was asleep; not a very sound one, but it was sleep nonetheless.

**A/N: Just thought I would give you all a Christmas present by posting my next chapter today! I hope you are enjoying it as the story is slowly beginning to "dig into" Becca's past! :)**

** Thanks to my mom who edited my chapter! **

**Please leave a review and let me know how you are liking the story. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The next few days were tough for Becca and the team. They didn't find any new leads or information on the kidnappers. Things seemed hopeless. As Becca sat at her desk in the FBI office she started to wonder if they would ever find Sam McCarthy.

_Becca! _she scolded herself, _Don't even think that! You __**have**__ to find that boy! Stay positive!_

A dinging sound came from her computer indicating a notification. When she checked it, Becca was pleasantly surprised to find there had just been a transaction made with one of the kidnappers' bankcards. Quickly pulling up the security footage from the ATM machine where the card was used Becca found the man who had used it and printed out a picture of him. The image wasn't very clear, so Becca couldn't tell for sure if it was indeed one of the kidnappers, but it looked like it could be. She hurried over to Don's cubicle and laid the paper down on his desk.

"Don," she said. "The kidnappers just used one of their bankcards."

"Really? Where?"

"At an ATM downtown. This is the man who made the transaction," she said pointing to the picture.

"Alright. Let's get everyone else and hurry down there."

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Despite the fact that they were traveling at a fast speed, Becca felt as if they were moving in slow motion downtown. She could hardly sit still knowing how close they were to possibly catching one of the kidnappers.

As soon as the team arrived at their destination, Don grouped everyone together. Once again Don paired Colby and Becca, which was becoming annoying to the latter agent. Becca thought maybe Don was doing it deliberately, but what would be his motive in that?

The team didn't need to wait too long before they saw the man in question walking down the sidewalk. Everyone made sure their com links were all in place and split into their groups as they began tailing the suspect.

Becca was "in the zone" as they moved down the sidewalk and nothing, not even Colby Granger was going to interfere with that.

"Colby, Becca." Don's voice came in loud and clear over the com link. "It looks like you two are the closest. Start closing in slowly on him."

"Got it," Colby replied.

The two agents began to close the gap between themselves and the man. They moved slowly, but something must have tipped the man off, because within seconds he bolted and pushed through the crowd in front of him. Colby's instincts kicked in and he sped off after the suspect before Becca could even fully process what was happening.

"Stop!" Colby yelled. "FBI!"

"Something tipped him off," Becca said. "He's running."

"Megan, David, do you two have eyes on the suspect?" Don asked.

"No, we can't see through the crowd very well, but we're moving that way now," David replied. "We should see him in just a second."

"Okay," Don said.

Becca hurried behind Colby, trying to keep up with him. She almost lost him a few times, but managed to keep him in sight. David had been right; Colby _was_ an adrenaline junkie.

Up ahead, Becca was just able to see the suspect turn down an alley and saw Colby vanish between the buildings after him. By the time she reached the alley, Becca saw Colby grab the hood on the back of the man's sweatshirt, trying to pull him to a stop. The suspect wasn't going to go down without a fight, however, and elbowed the agent in the stomach. Colby lurched forward from the blow and the man took the opportunity to bring his fist up into his nose.

Colby lost his grip on the man's sweater shirt, but quickly recovered his footing and kicked the man's legs out from underneath him. The suspect fell to the ground with a thud. Colby went to pin him down so he could handcuff him, but the man used Colby's weight against him and flipped him to the hard ground.

Glancing back at the FBI agent, the suspect scrambled to his feet and began to hurry away. He evidently hadn't noticed Becca enter the alley because when he turned to face forward he was surprised by her presence. She took his moment of confusion to arch her right fist in an upward thrust and connected it with the man's gut. He doubled over in pain and she brought her knee up into his face. Becca heard a crack as the man's nose broke under the force. She allowed the suspect to "bond" with the pavement before handcuffing him.

By the time she had the man cuffed, Colby had climbed to his feet and the rest of the team came in and filled the alley.

"Hey, you two alright?" Don asked.

"That would depend on your definition of 'alright'," Colby said, touching his nose with the tips of his fingers. When he pulled them away they had blood on them. "Great."

David let a chuckle slip from his mouth. "It looks like someone got the drop on you, Granger."

"No, really, David?" Colby replied, his tone thick with sarcasm. "I thought my gut and face just decided to feel like hell for no reason."

David laughed at that, earning a glare from his not so amused partner.

"What the heck!" Becca said, lifting the suspect to his feet.

"What is it?" Liz asked as Becca gained their attention.

"This doesn't look like either one of our guys." She turned the suspect so the rest of the team could get a good look at his face. "And it isn't because I broke his nose either."

"No, you're right. This _is_ the guy that was on the security footage though," Don said. He walked over to the where Becca stood with the man. "Where did you get that bankcard?"

"I didn't do anything," the man defended himself. "A guy approached me and told me that he would pay me if I went to the ATM and checked his balance for him."

"Did you get a name?"

"No, I just took the card and did what he told me."

"So if that's all you did then why did you run and then proceed to assault one of my agents?"

"Because…" The man looked down shamefully at his shoes. "Because I didn't get paid yet, so I was hoping I could get away."

Don shook his head and took the man from Becca's hands. "Here's some free advice for next time, Buddy. Get the money _before_ you agree to do anything stupid," Don said and started walking the man out of the alley and to the black SUV.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca had taken a moment once they arrived back at the office to process what had happened. She was frustrated and upset. It was just one more thing that hadn't worked out in this case, but she finally managed to compose herself.

Now, Becca walked through the bullpen looking for Colby. She never thought she would _ever_ be seeking him out, but he had been punched in the face and she knew from experience how awful that felt. She had grabbed an ice pack out of her bag and decided to bring it to him. Eventually, she found him in the break room holding a cold water bottle against his face.

"Hey, I thought this might help," she said holding up the instant ice pack.

He put the water bottle on the counter and walked over to where she stood at the table. "Where did you find that?" he asked.

"I usually carry one or two in my bag when I go to work. You never know when you might need them and they are never anywhere to be found when you do."

"Tell me about it," he snorted. "The best thing I could find was that cold water bottle."

Becca let a small laugh escape. "Oh yeah, and that looked like it was working great." She squeezed the instant ice pack and within seconds it felt cold. "Here," she said handing it to Colby. "Keep this on your nose."

He took it from her and placed it on his face, careful not to push it too hard on his nose. Becca moved over to the sink area and grabbed a few paper towels. She wet them with warm water and walked back over to where Colby sat. She had noticed when she walked in that he still had dried blood on his face.

"Move the ice pack for a sec," she said.

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of it?" he asked questioningly.

"You didn't get all the blood off your face," Becca explained.

Colby quirked an eyebrow. "You must be the oldest sibling in your family. Did you take care of your younger brothers and sisters a lot?"

Becca glanced up at Colby with a curious look on her face. "No, I'm actually in the middle. Now move the ice pack," she ordered.

With a smirk on his face, Colby lowered the ice pack and allowed Becca to begin wiping off the remnants of his bloody nose. "Brothers? Sisters?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, I have four brothers."

"So two older and two younger brothers, then?"

"Yeah, does that surprise you?"

"Well, you seem to act more like the oldest sibling."

"And what's that like?"

Colby paused a moment while he tried to think of the right word. "Bossy," he finally said. Becca "accidentally" pressed too hard on Colby's sore nose and he pulled his head back slightly. "Ouch," he said. "What was that for?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt?" she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Not at all. I usually flinch and say 'ouch' randomly," his sarcasm equaling hers.

Becca grinned at his comment as he explained himself. "I only meant you are good at giving orders. It was supposed to be a compliment."

"Yeah, well you better work on your compliments then," she laughed.

"That's what my little sister has been telling me for years."

"She's a smart cookie," Becca nodded.

Colby sat still as she continued cleaning off his face. He could hardly believe what was happening. _She can barely say two civil words to me,_ he thought. _Yet, here she is washing blood off my face. It almost makes me wish there was more blood to be cleaned off._

As she finished wiping away the last of the dried blood, she found herself staring into Colby's eyes. _They're green. I love green eyes,_ Becca thought. But she saw that his eyes held more than just color. There was depth to them. They were gentle, caring, and full of laughter.

When Becca realized what she was doing, she cleared her throat and said, "There. It's all gone now." She threw the dirty paper towels in the trash and turned back to Colby. His nose wasn't too swollen, but you could definitely tell that he had been hit in the face by something.

Apparently Becca had smiled because Colby said, "What's so funny?"

"What?" she asked.

"You were just smiling. Is something funny?"

"Oh, I was just looking at your face," she said, and realized right away those were not the wisest words to choose.

Colby chuckled. "Oh, so my face is funny?"

Becca bit her bottom lip and looked at the ground. She finally looked back up and met his eyes. "No. I'm sorry, that's not what I meant."

"I know. It's okay."

Becca sat down in the chair across the table from him. "You should probably put that ice back on your face."

"It's that bad, huh?" Colby asked, his face grimacing.

"It's not as bad as the other guy's face, that's for sure," she said with a smile.

"Yeah. That was quite impressive. _I_ even heard his nose break from where I was."

"That's what happens when you are surrounded by brothers; they rub off on you and then you beg your parents to let you take Ninjitsu."

"Ah, so you were a lethal weapon even when you were younger. Why does that not surprise me," Colby said, a smile playing about the corners of his mouth.

Becca grinned and stood up from her chair. "Well, I would love to help you solve this great mystery, but I have to get back to work," she said. "Keep that ice on your nose."

Colby chuckled and shook his head as Becca left the break room. To him, it seemed as if Rebecca Reed was just one great mystery that he wanted to solve.

**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for sticking with this story and reading! And also a big "thank you" to those of you who have left reviews. It's like Christmas day every time I get a review! Thanks!**

**I want to thank my mom and sister (Riter's Fury) for all of their help with this chapter. It was a tough one, but with their help I was able to make it "post-worthy". :)**


	8. Chapter 8

_I'll try to break through, but you know that it's up to you. __~Colbie Caillat – Break Through_

**Chapter 8**

_Becca awoke to the sound of clanking dishes and a magnificent aroma wafting through the air from the kitchen into the bedroom. When she opened her eyes, Becca saw beams of bright sunlight seeping through the window blinds and onto the bed. She pushed back the covers and stretched lazily._

_Rolling out of the bed, she walked from her bedroom and into the naturally lit living room. She paused a moment to look out the large, floor-to-ceiling window and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her skin. The window provided a breathtaking view of the ocean. She watched the crystal blue waves sparkle as they crashed upon the sandy shore for a few minutes before continuing into the next room. When she reached the big, open kitchen, Becca was met with the sight of her husband cooking breakfast._

"_Morning, Sunshine," Colby greeted her with a grin._

"_Good morning," Becca replied, smiling back at him. She walked over to Colby and he wrapped her in a loving embrace. "Breakfast smells delicious."_

"_That was my goal," he said, leaning down to kiss her lips. "Happy Mother's Day, Becca."_

"_I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you. So where is my 'little man'?" Becca asked, looking around the open living space._

"_I right here!" came a cheerful voice. A little boy with sandy colored hair came running from the hallway and into the kitchen. "Happy Mummy's Day!" he yelled and jumped into Becca's waiting arms. He squeezed her tightly around the neck and kissed her cheek._

_A wide smile spread across Becca's face. "Thank you, Ethan," she said to her three-year-old son._

"_Hey, Bud, where's the card you made for mommy?" Colby asked._

"_I lef' it in my room," Ethan answered._

"_You left it in your room?"_

"_Yeah," the little boy said, nodding his head._

"_Well, we better go grab it." Colby took Ethan from Becca's arms and put him up on his shoulders. "Hang on."_

"_Okay," Ethan said and began giggling as Colby made car noises and sped off to the boy's room._

_Becca laughed as she watched the men in her life disappear into the hall to retrieve the card._

Becca jerked herself awake and sat upright in the bed. She listened closely. No sounds came from the kitchen. Then she looked around the colorless room. There wasn't bright sunlight coming in through the windows. It had all just been a dream. She was still in her hotel room, alone. She wasn't married to Colby and there was no little boy.

Throwing off her covers, Becca hurriedly made her way to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She put her hands on the bathroom counter and leaned forward, allowing the water to drip down her face and into the sink as she looked in the mirror.

Becca stared into her own eyes as she tried to gather her thoughts. What was going on? She just had a dream that she and Colby were married! And to top it off, they had a cute little boy named Ethan!

"This is _not_ okay, Becca!" she scolded herself. "You _cannot_ be having dreams about him! What is wrong with you?" She splashed water on her face several more times until finally realization dawned on her.

_Yesterday_. That had been where she went wrong. When she helped Colby after he was punched in the face she had let her mask fall and allowed him to "see" her. That was definitely _not_ a safe thing to do.

Becca shook her head, trying to clear the confusion she felt, but it didn't help. _A run,_ she thought. _I need to go on a run. That always helps clear my head._

She quickly pulled on a pair of black shorts and a coral colored tank top and left her hotel room, not even taking the time to eat breakfast.

It was a nice fall morning in L.A. A warm breeze blew softly across Becca's face as she began to run. When she made it to one of the nearby parks, she decided to walk around for a while. She noticed an array of colorful wildflowers planted in a bed not too far away and walked over to them. A tiny dimpled smile touched the corners of her mouth. She loved wildflowers. They were her favorite.

Becca continued to walk around the park. She came upon a younger couple in an open grassy area playing soccer with their two little boys. She had always wanted children. The trick was finding someone who shared her desires. She forgot about her dream from that morning and allowed her thoughts to drift to the past.

"_Oh, come on, Chase," Becca said to her boyfriend. "Relax."_

"_I can't believe you wanted to come to an amusement park," Chase said._

"_Why not?"_

"_I don't know," he shrugged, "but when you said you wanted to pick our date spot I just never thought I would end up at Busch Gardens."_

_Becca smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Does it bother you?"_

"_No." He slid his arms around Becca's waist and kissed her forehead. "Just as long as I'm here with you."_

"_I love you." Becca grinned and loosened her arms from around his neck. She took hold of his hand and began pulling him through the crowd._

_Chase laughed and said, "Where are you taking me?"_

"_To the best ride __**ever**__," she called over her shoulder._

_He followed closely behind her until they reached one of the largest roller coasters in the park. He looked up and saw a cart fly by on the track overhead and looked back at Becca skeptically._

"_We're going on __**that**__?" he asked._

"_Don't tell me you're scared," she smirked._

"_No, I just can't believe that __**you**__ want to go on __**that**__."_

"_I love roller coasters. I think I got it from my mom."_

"_Now that I __**can**__ believe," Chase chuckled. "That woman is a daredevil."_

"_You think so?"_

"_Yeah, and the thing that makes it even scarier is that she doesn't look like one."_

_Becca laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her eyes fell on a couple as they walked along with their two boys. The youngest boy, who couldn't have been any older than a year, was being pushed in a stroller by his father, while his mother held the hand of his older brother, who looked to be about three years old. The boy in the stroller caught her eye and smiled the cutest little grin she had ever seen. She smiled back and then titled her head so she could look up at Chase. He looked down at her and she turned her eyes back to the family. He followed her gaze and saw what lie at the end._

"_What?" he said looking at her curiously._

"_Isn't that baby cute?" she asked, smiling sweetly at him. "He just gave me the cutest smile ever."_

"_Ummm…yeah, I guess."_

"_What do you mean 'you guess'? He's adorable."_

"_I don't know, I just don't look at kids and think 'cute', 'cuddly' and 'adorable''. I look at them and think 'messy', annoying' and 'time consuming'."_

_Becca chuckled, thinking he was joking, but when she didn't hear Chase join in with her she realized he hadn't been kidding. She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye._

"_Wait, you're serious?" she said._

"_Ahhh, yeah," he answered, surprised that she hadn't realized that._

_Becca didn't know what to say, so she just stood there staring at him._

"_Hey, Babe, are you alright?" he asked. "You look as if you've just seen a ghost." He reached out and touched her shoulder, but she shrunk away. "What's wrong?" he asked again._

"_What's wrong?" she repeated his question. "Oh, I don't know, maybe it has something to do with you just telling me that you hate kids, Chase," she said, still not believing what she had heard._

"_I don't __**hate**__ kids…I just don't __**like**__ them very much. You already knew that, though." _

"_No, actually. I didn't. You never told me that."_

"_Well, are you saying that __**you**__ want kids?"_

_She looked at him as if he were the stupidest person alive. _Of course, I want kids, you idiot! _she thought._ What kind of question is that?_ Becca just stared at Chase blankly, unable to make an audible response._

"_I guess I'll take that as a 'yes' then," he said._

"_Are you saying that if we get married we can't have kids because you think they're annoying?" she finally managed to ask._

"_I don't know," he shrugged. "I mean if you really want a kid then I guess we could have one, maybe."_

_Becca shook her head in disbelief and started walking toward the exit of the park._

"_Babe, where are you going?" he asked as he followed her._

"_Home."_

"_We just got here!" He caught her arm and spun her around. "Becca, come on. I'm sorry, alright? If you really want children then…then okay, you can have children."_

"_Yeah, __**I **__**can**__ have them, but are __**you**__ willing to be their father?"_

_Chase hesitated for a moment and then shook his head reluctantly. "If that's what you want…then yeah."_

Becca pulled herself out of the memory, unable to re-live it any longer. Tears stung the back of her eyes and she turned away from the scene in front of her. But as she turned away from the family who was playing soccer, she literally bumped into one of the last people in the world she wanted to see.

"Whoa," Colby said as he caught her elbow, helping her to regain her balance. He caught her eyes and noticed their slight redness. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." Becca pulled away from him and turned around to walk the other way, but her eyes once again fell on the two little boys playing soccer with their parents. She froze, unable to do anything as she tried to stop the torrent of memories and confusion from overtaking her.

Just then the soccer ball came rolling across the path they were on. Becca looked up and saw one of the little boys come hurrying over, his dark hair bouncing as he ran. Colby bent over and picked up the soccer ball and handed it to the small child.

"Here you go, Buddy," Colby smiled.

"Fank ooo," the boy grinned and took the ball from Colby's hands.

Becca smiled sadly to herself as she watched the small child run away. _"If that's what you want."_ Chase's words from that night at the amusement park echoed in her mind. That _was_ what she had wanted. It was _still_ what she wanted. Yet here she was, almost a year later with no kids and a broken heart.

"Cute kid," Colby said, pulling Becca out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"That little boy…he was really cute."

"Oh, ah…yeah."

Colby saw her hesitation. "Are you _sure_ you're alright?" he asked again.

"Yeah," she replied, her eyes not leaving the little boys. "Just a little worn out."

"I bet. Did you run all the way from your hotel?"

Becca nodded. She didn't know why she was still standing there. She tried to move, but couldn't. It felt as if her legs were going to collapse underneath her, making her seriously regret not taking the time to eat anything before heading out.

Colby studied Becca carefully. She did _not_ look all right. "Hey, are you sure you're okay? You look a little pale."

Becca didn't answer. Her heart was pounding. She tried to walk away, but her legs turned to jelly and she would have fallen flat on her face if Colby hadn't been standing right next to her.

He caught her right arm and slid his around her waist for support. "Did you eat breakfast this morning?" he asked her. She only shook her head in response. "Well, no wonder you feel like this. Let's go get some food in you. There's a little breakfast café not too far from here."

"No," Becca began to protest. "It's ok, really. I can make it back to my hotel and I have stuff for breakfast there." She tried to move away from him, but her legs were still too weak.

"You think you're going to be able to make it back to your hotel feeling like this?" Colby asked and let the thought sink in.

All Becca wanted to do was go back to her room and bolt the door behind her. She wanted to forget about Chase and get away from Colby. _Then_ maybe she could think clearly. But Becca knew that no matter how strong-willed she was there was no way she was going to make it back to her hotel without collapsing, so she did the only thing she could do. She nodded her head and allowed Colby to lead her to the café, his arm still about her waist.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

"I had a little cash in pocket and so I said to myself, 'Babs, you got this money, why not do somethin' crazy?'" the waitress said in a thick Bronx accent. She was a _long_ way from home. "So I decided to strike out on my own. I mean, why ever the heck not. Right?"

Colby and Becca stared at the waitress in the café with wide eyes. They had been listening to Barbara, or rather "Babs", as she liked to be called, for the last fifteen minutes as she told them her life story.

"Anyway," Babs continued, "That's enough about me. What can I get for you, cutie?" Babs was staring directly at Colby when she said this, but he wasn't sure if she meant him or Becca. "I'm mean you, handsome," Babs said pointing to Colby, confirming whom she was talking to.

"Um, I'm gonna have the Special of the Day with a cup of coffee," Colby said.

"Okay. And what about your girlfriend?" Babs asked, turning to Becca.

A look of shock crossed over Becca's face and she opened her mouth to set the waitress straight.

"Ah, she's actually not my girlfriend," Colby said before Becca got the chance.

"Oh, so you two are just friends or somethin'?" Babs said.

"Yes."

"Oh pahlease," the waitress said, not believing him. "I've seen a lot of couples in my time, Buddy, and you two are _most_ _definitely_ a couple." Colby tried to say something, but Babs cut him off. "Honey, don't you even _lie to me_. I've seen that show and I am now a _master_ at reading micro expressions!"

Colby pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. He looked across the table at Becca who was struggling to hold back her laughter. When she managed to compose herself she said, "I'll just have the pancake plate with bacon and eggs."

"Oh, and could you bring her a glass of orange juice right away, please?" Colby asked.

"Sure thing, Hon," Babs said as she wrote the order down on her pad of paper. "You two sit tight now. I'll have your order for you in just a bit." She walked away and disappeared into the kitchen.

Becca and Colby could hear their waitress shouting out their orders to the cooks and Becca snorted as she tried to keep from laughing.

"Sorry about that," Colby said. "She hasn't been here before when I've come. She must be new."

"It's okay," Becca replied.

"Will you be alright until the food gets here? I could have them bring you a piece of toast if you need something right away."

"No, I'll be good."

Babs waltzed back with the glass of juice and put it in front of Becca. "Here you go, Sweetie," she said and turned to wait on the table behind them.

Becca took of sip of the orange juice and turned her head to look out the window.

"It's a nice day out," Colby said.

"Yeah, it is."

"So," he began, trying to start a conversation, "You have four brothers. What do they do?"

"Ah, well, Josh, the oldest, went into politics and the second oldest, Aaron, is a doctor."

"What kind of doctor is he?"

"A neurosurgeon," Becca chuckled.

"That's pretty cool. What about your two younger brothers?"

"Matt and Lucas are the twins "babies" of the family." Becca smiled a little as she talked about her brothers. "They're both in the Army."

"Really? I used to be in the Army. What do they do?"

"Army Rangers. They're currently deployed with their units." Becca found that Colby was really easy to talk to; like her brothers and Jason.

"Is this their first tour?" he asked.

"This will be their third tour actually."

"How long have they been gone?"

"Just shy of a month. So they still have a while longer to go."

"Mmm." Colby nodded his head thoughtfully. "That can be tough sometimes. I remember what it was like when I was deployed. My mom and sister were always worried about me and it could be pretty hard at times. But somehow the deployment always seemed to fly by and before they knew it, I was back home."

"Well, I bet your parents and your sister are very proud of you."

"Yeah, my mom and sister are and I'm sure my dad would have been too." Becca stared at Colby with a look of confusion on her face. "My dad died when I fifteen," he explained.

"Oh…Um…I'm really sorry to hear that." _Great,_ Becca thought. _Now you've gotten yourself into a __**serious**__ conversation. Now there's no turning back. This is bad._ "Were you and your dad close?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah. He used to take me on fishing trips with him during the summer." Colby smiled slightly at the memory. "One year my dad made me a Wooly Bugger fishing lure and gave it to me as a present. I used it all time when we went fishing, but now I just keep it hanging on my lamp at work."

"Oh, so _that's_ what that is. I was wondering."

Colby chuckled. "Yep, that's what it is."

"Well, I see you two are having a lovely time just chattin' up a storm over here," Babs said, returning with their breakfast. "You better not let this one escape, Sweetie. He's a real looker and a _great _catch," she said to Becca. When she placed Becca's plate of food in front of her she leaned down towards her and whispered, "But if you ever decide you don't want him, just give me a call. I'll take him off your hands for you." Babs slipped Becca a piece of paper with her phone number on it and winked at Colby before walking away.

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing that last chapter! I enjoy knowing what everyone thinks of my story.**

**I want to say "thank you" to my mom for helping me "iron out the kinks" in this chapter. And a big appreciation to my beautiful sister (Riter's Fury) for taking the time to read my chapter. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The run Becca took that morning hadn't been of any help to her. It also hadn't been good that she ran into Colby After seeing how disoriented she had been earlier Becca knew he would be keeping an extra eye on her. She didn't want special attention from him.

As she sat at her desk that morning, Becca looked like a zombie. She stared blankly at the computer in front of her not even sure what she was looking for anymore.

She hadn't been sleeping too well for the past few days. Well, the past few _weeks_ would be more accurate. A little while after the kidnapping case began she had grown restless and had difficulty sleeping at night. Now the effects were taking their toll and people were starting to notice. The day before, Don had even suggested that Becca go back to her hotel and rest, but of course she had refused. She _needed_ to work.

"Becca," Megan said for the third time.

Becca jerked upright and was pulled out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry. What was that?" she asked, turning to face Megan.

"It looked like you zoned out there. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, ah, I'm good," she replied, nodding her head.

Becca noticed Colby watching her from his desk and she turned quickly back to face her computer. She could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head as he continued to watch her.

_Stop looking at me!_ Becca screamed in her head._ Look at your computer and work!_ She was right. Colby _was_ going to be keeping an eye on her now. He just seemed to be that kind of a guy.

Finally, she felt his eyes shift off of her and she released her long held breath. She rubbed her hands over her face and continued to search for leads. The rhythmic sound of her fellow FBI agents clicking computer keys around her gave her a constant to focus on.

After what felt like hours of searching, Colby let out a long sigh. He leaned back in his chair and scratched his head. "Hey, are any of you guys hungry?" he asked.

David perked up and his eyes grew wide at the mention of "food". "Yes, I'm starving."

"I could eat," Megan agreed.

"How about some Chinese food?" Liz asked.

Megan, David and Colby groaned in unison.

"Not Chinese food again," David pleaded.

Liz gave them a questioning look. "What's wrong with Chinese?"

Both Colby and David gave her a look that said "Seriously?" and Megan just chuckled.

"C'mon, Liz," Colby said. "I'm from Idaho. I crave meat and potatoes, _not_ slimy veggies and gooey sauce."

"Nicely put," David said and reached out to fist bump with Colby.

"Fine then," Liz continued, "what do_ you_ want to eat?"

"I don't really care," Colby shrugged, "Just as long as it _isn't_ Chinese."

"Well thanks, Granger," Liz said sarcastically. "That really narrows it down."

"I'm glad I could be of service."

The grin on Colby's face earned him a smack on the arm from Liz, which only made him grin wider. Colby composed himself and he turned to Becca, who hadn't looked away from her computer the entire time.

"Seeing as the rest of us are unable to decide on a food," he began, "what would you like?"

Becca knew she needed to eat, but she was so stressed out at the moment that she wasn't sure if she could. She just shrugged. "Whatever you guys decide on is fine. I'm not really hungry." She saw Colby out of the corner of her eye and she could tell that he was trying to be patient with her.

"Why don't we just get sandwiches from that really good deli shop in town?" Megan suggested.

"Yeah, let's do that," David agreed.

"Megan, why don't you and Becca go and get the food," Liz said, "and the rest of us will stay here and continue our search."

"I'd actually rather stay here and keep looking for leads," Becca said. "Someone else can go if they want to."

"No, you go ahead," David insisted. "Take a break."

Becca didn't want to take a break. She wanted to keep working on this case. She caught Colby's eye and saw him mouth the word "go". She groaned inwardly and stood up reluctantly from her chair. Why was she even doing what he told her? She didn't even want to think about the reason why.

Megan took everyone's orders and Becca followed her through the bullpen to the elevator. As the two women traveled down to the parking garage, Megan looked over at the agent beside her. She could see the annoyance on Becca's face. Megan knew what it was like to want to keep going, but she also knew what happened when you kept pushing yourself.

"It's alright to take a break you know," Megan said to Becca. "If you don't, you'll just burn yourself out and then you won't be a help to anybody." When Becca didn't answer, she added, "Things can be tough sometimes, but that's when we need to realize that there are others around to help us out. I know you only just met us a few days ago, but we _are_ here for you. All you have to do is say the word and we'll come running."

Becca knew this. That was something she had learned a few months ago. Only that time she hadn't spoken soon enough. She couldn't make that mistake again. But how did she know she could trust them? How did she know she could trust Colby Granger?

Becca turned and met Megan's eyes. She saw a genuine, encouraging look in her eyes. She knew Megan was right, but that didn't make it any easier. "Thanks, Megan," Becca finally managed to say. "And I understand…even though it may not seem like it. I just have a lot going on right now."

"Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Not right now."

"Well, if you ever do, just let me know," Megan smiled. "I'm a pretty good listener."

Becca nodded in acknowledgement as the elevator doors opened and the two women stepped out.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

While the team sat around eating their lunch in the break room, they carried on light conversation. They joked with one another and talked about funny and memorable things that had happened on past cases.

Becca was surprised at how easy it seemed for them to put the present case out of their minds. She knew relaxing in the middle of a stressful case was a good thing to be able to do, but she always felt guilty doing that.

Colby sat in the seat next to Becca and now leaned over to her. "How's your sandwich?" he asked.

"Good." Becca decided it was probably best to try and keep her answers short. She didn't want to be having another dream about him.

"I hope you're feeling better than you were this morning."

"I am. Thanks," Becca said and took a bite out of her Italian sub.

Don entered the room and Megan said, "Hey, Don, you weren't around when we went out to pick up lunch, so we got you a sandwich just in case you haven't eaten yet."

"Thanks," Don replied. He sat down in one of the chairs at the tall table, but didn't open the packaging of his sandwich. Instead, he just sat and looked at each of the agents in front of him.

"Is something wrong?" David asked.

"We need to talk about this case," Don said.

"What do you mean?" Megan questioned.

Don turned to Becca and asked, "How long has this case been going on for?"

Becca was a little unsure of where this conversation was going, but answered the question. "It's been two months."

"Okay. That's a long time."

"Yeah, it is." Becca agreed.

"Look, I don't want to even think about this, so I'm sure none of _you_ do either, but I think we need to start asking ourselves a question."

Becca's breath caught in her throat as she realized what Don was going to say. She didn't want to hear it. She wanted to run out of the room, but she knew she couldn't do that. She braced herself for the inevitable as the silence in the room closed in around her.

"Do we even think that Sam McCarthy is still alive?" Don asked. He paused a moment before continuing. "That day when Colby and Becca went to the bar where the kidnappers had a meeting, they found out that _both_ of our guys were there. What would both kidnappers be doing at the bar unless they didn't have the kid to worry about anymore? It kills me to even have to bring this up, but…we have to start being a bit more practical here."

Becca knew it had been coming. The question had crossed her own mind several times already, but she never allowed herself to even consider it. Somewhere along the way, Becca had taken full responsibility for what happened to Sam McCarthy. She knew being mentally and emotionally attached to a case was a bad idea. However, major changes that occurred in her life shortly before taking on this case caused her to make finding Sam McCarthy her personal mission. Her _purpose_.

Becca felt tears start to sting her eyes and she tried to blink them away. She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her folded hands as everyone shifted their gaze to her. Unable to sit there any longer, Becca stood up and excused herself, before she hurried out of the room.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Outside, the sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze blowing. Becca took a deep breath, allowing the fresh air to fill her lungs. For the past few months she felt as if her job, never mind her personal life, had been moving in slow motion. Yet, even as she stood on the balcony of the FBI building she could hear the sounds of life ringing in her ears, as the world seemed to continue on without her.

The thought of Sam McCarthy not being alive was hard for Becca to accept. What if it turned out to be true? Having to live with the knowledge that that work she had done on the case hadn't been enough to bring the little boy home would be too much for Becca to live with.

She just wanted to crawl in a dark hole and cry. For months Becca had been working herself too hard and she knew it, but that was the way she coped. She had been like that since she was young. Whenever things got difficult she pushed herself even harder.

Becca heard a door open and footsteps approach her. _Oh, please, don't let it be Colby,_ she thought. _That would just top my day off if I broke down crying on his shoulder._ She turned her head slowly to see who had come out and was relieved to find that it was Megan.

Megan came and stood next to Becca, leaning her right elbow on the railing. "You alright?" she asked. Becca bit her lip, but didn't answer. "I know," Megan continued, "You're probably sick of people asking you if you're okay, huh?"

Becca leaned her elbows against the railing and turned her head to look at Megan. "I've had people asking me if I'm alright for the past six months," Becca said. "I just wish that for once I could honestly tell them I'm fine." Becca felt a little weight lift off her chest after confessing this out loud.

"Six months? So is there more than just this kidnapping case bothering you?"

Becca nodded. Outside of her family and Jason, Megan was the first person Becca had admitted this to.

"Do you wanna tell me about it?" Megan asked in a kind voice.

"I don't think I can at the moment, because if I do, then I won't be able to concentrate on finding Sam McCarthy."

"About that," Megan began cautiously, "What Don said is right. Have you ever had the thought whether or not Sam is still alive?"

Becca bit her lip and looked out over the railing. "Yeah. But I can't bring myself to even entertain the thought."

"You might have to," Megan said gently.

Becca was quiet for a long time before she spoke. "Have you…Do you ever have moments during a really tough case when you wonder if what you've been doing is even helping?"

"Or you wonder if when the case is all wrapped up you can look back and say, 'I did my best' and not have any doubts?" Megan added.

Becca shook her head.

"All the time. Sadly, I think it's just one of those things that comes with the job. If a case isn't going the way you had planned, or if it ends badly, you are left wondering and doubting some of the decisions you made."

"That's how I've felt for most of this case; as if everything I do only makes things worse and not better."

"Well, from what I've seen," Megan said, "That's not true. If the decisions you've made haven't brought us to finding the kidnappers, they have narrowed down the possibilities."

A slight smile turned up the corners of Becca's mouth. "I've never thought about it that way before."

"That's why I always find talking to others beneficial because you are able to get a different point of view on your dilemma." Silence hung between the two women for a few moments before Megan spoke again. "So, do you think you are ready to tackle this case again, now that you have a new perspective?"

Becca looked Megan in the eye, finding kindness and a friendly quality in them. "Yeah," she nodded. "Let's do this." As the two women began walking toward the door, Becca's phone started ringing. She looked at the caller. _Jason Moffit_. "I gotta answer this," Becca said.

"Go ahead," Megan replied. "I'll meet you inside."

"Thanks." Becca answered the phone and put it up to her ear. "Hey, Jason. What can I do for you?"

"Hey," he replied. "Umm…I've got some news about the case that you're going to want to hear."

"Great. What is it?"

"We know where Sam McCarthy is."

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!** ** I go back to school on Monday, so I am trying to get as much written as I can before then!**

**Once again, I would like to thank my mom and my sister (Riter's Fury) for reading through my chapter! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It had taken Becca a moment to process what Jason had told her on the phone. After finally allowing herself to believe the news about Sam McCarthy, she hurried inside and told the team what had happened.

"Wait, so you're saying that your team in Virginia found out where the boy is?" Don asked.

"Basically, the story is that Richard McCarthy called my team and told them that his son has been with his uncle, William McCarthy, for the past week and a half or so."

"So is the uncle involved in the kidnapping then?" David asked.

"No," Becca answered, shaking her head. "He's CIA, Black Ops, and I guess they decided he would have a better chance of finding Sam. Jason said it was a long, complicated story and that Richard McCarthy would be flying out here right away to explain it."

"So what do we do now?" Liz asked.

"William McCarthy is going to bring Sam here," Becca explained. "And Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy are going to catch the first plane they can."

"So, we're just waiting then?" Colby said.

"Pretty much. And after all of the waiting I've done during this case I should be an expert," Becca joked.

Colby smiled. He was glad to see she was able to joke a little now.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca stood by the door to the FBI building waiting for William McCarthy to arrive. Time seemed like it had stopped, just to make her wait longer on purpose. She had never been so impatient in her life.

"Hey," Colby said, walking up next to her.

"Hi," she said. "What's up?"

"You've been down here a little while. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"Yep, just waiting…still."

They stood in silence for a while, just staring out the large glass windows. Every time a small child passed by with a man, Becca thought it might be little Sam, but they were all false alarms.

Colby saw her anticipation and couldn't help but smile. She looked like a kid in a candy store. She was finally going to see the boy she had been trying to find for months. "Gosh, you aren't excited are you?" he teased, hoping she was past her random irritated outbursts against him.

To Colby's surprise, Becca smiled. This was different from a normal smile, though. It made her eyes light up. He hadn't ever seen that look on her face, but now that he had, he knew he liked it and he wanted to be the reason she smiled like that.

"I'm just a little bit excited," she grinned.

"I can see that."

They only had to watch out the window for a few more minutes before they saw a tall man with light brown hair walking toward the doors of the FBI building, holding the hand of a little boy with sandy colored hair.

As soon as Becca saw them she couldn't move. No, they hadn't actually caught the kidnappers yet, but that seemed only a trifle in that moment. Two months of searching for Sam McCarthy and here he was only thirty feet away from her. Her eyes began filling with tears and she felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders.

"You gonna make it?" Colby asked, placing a reassuring hand on her arm

"Yeah," Becca replied in a barely audible voice as she reminded herself to breathe. "Yeah, I think I can now."

By the time William and Sam entered the building, Becca managed to gather herself and greeted them both warmly.

"Mr. McCarthy, I'm Special Agent Rebecca Reed," she said, shaking William's hand. "And this is Agent Colby Granger." The two men shook hands as Becca knelt down next to Sam McCarthy. "Hey, Sam," she smiled. "I'm Becca. How are you?"

"Good," he said in a small, shy voice.

A huge grin spread across Becca's face. "Well, I'm glad."

"I would really like to make sure Sam sees a doctor," William said. "Because of the…circumstances, I didn't have a chance to take him to get a check-up."

Becca understood where he was coming from. "Okay," she said, "We'll go with you."

William nodded his appreciation.

Colby turned to Becca. "I'll call Don and let him know."

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Colby and Becca stood to one side of the examining room as the doctor checked Sam over under the watchful eye of his uncle. Much to their surprise, he wasn't like most young children who would often fuss and complain about doctors. He was quite the opposite. Sam was very interested to know exactly what the doctor was doing.

Becca smiled. She still couldn't believe that after all this time Sam McCarthy was right in front of her very own eyes.

Colby looked over at Becca and smirked. He thought her dimpled smile gave her an innocent, carefree look. He was glad he got to see it.

"Well, this little guy is perfectly healthy," the doctor said. "Nothing wrong with him at all."

"Do I have to have a shot?" Sam asked.

William grinned and walked over to his nephew. "Nope. No shots, Buddy" he replied, ruffling his hair.

Sam smiled in relief. He may be fine around doctors, but when it came to shots, he was like every other kid.

William helped Sam down from the examination table and took hold of his hand. "Thank you, Doctor Huffer."

Colby led the way out of the room and they headed back to the car. His phone rang and he answered it. "Granger…Hey, Don…Yeah, we're on our way back now…Okay, we'll be there in a bit."

Becca gave Colby a questioning look as he ended the call. "Everything alright?"

"Yep. Don was just making sure things were running smoothly."

Becca nodded and continued to the car.

"Are my mommy and daddy coming soon?" Sam asked glancing up at his uncle.

"Yeah," William said. "They have to get on a plane and fly here first, though."

"How long does that take?"

"They probably won't be here until later tonight," William replied. Sam gave his uncle a sad look. "It's okay, they'll be here before you know it."

"Okay," the little boy smiled.

Sam's grin was infectious. Becca couldn't help but smile, too.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

By the time Becca and Colby arrived back at the office it was dinnertime. Becca was completely exhausted and now that she knew Sam McCarthy was safe, she felt like she could actually sleep. She decided that it would be a wise decision to go back to her hotel and rest. Richard McCarthy and his wife, Mary, wouldn't arrive in L.A. until later in the evening, so she would certainly have time to sleep.

Becca went to find Don. He was sitting at his desk working on some paper work. "Hey, Don," she said.

"Hey," he replied. "I bet you're relieved to see Sam McCarthy safe and sound."

"Yeah."

"You did well with this case."

"Thanks," Becca smiled. "Umm, if you don't need me to do anything here I thought I would head back to my hotel and get some shut eye before Sam's parents arrive."

"No, go right ahead. You deserve a rest."

Becca nodded. She went into the locker room to grab her purse and found Megan doing the same.

"You going to your hotel for a while?" Megan asked.

"Yep, and I'm gonna sleep, too," Becca grinned.

"That's good. I'll see you later," Megan said and walked out of the room.

Becca's phone rang and, looking at the name on the screen, she answered it. "Hey, Jason."

"Hey, Becca. Just checking to make sure Sam and his uncle made it there."

"Yeah, they did. Sorry, I meant to call you and let you know."

"Not a problem. Now, Sam's parents aren't going to get there until late, so I hope you are going to go back to your hotel and rest."

By the tone of his voice Becca knew that wasn't a suggestion. She chuckled and said, "Yeah, I'm going right now."

"Good. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye." She ended the call and placed her phone on the bench.

Becca took her jacket out of the locker and pulled it on. She couldn't wait to curl up in her bed and sleep. She quickly grabbed her purse and hurried out the door.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca stepped off the elevator and onto her floor of the hotel. Walking down the hall, she pulled her room key out of her purse. When she reached her door, she slid the key card into the slot and pushed the door open. She stopped suddenly in the doorway and a chill ran down her spine.

Soft lighting was slipping past the corner of the wall and Becca could hear quiet violin music playing. Something caught her eye on the floor and she looked down. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw rose petals scattered across the carpet. She had no clue what was going on.

Taking a deep breath, Becca cautiously began following the trail of petals around the corner. It led her into the eating area and at the end of the trail were a pair of shoes. It wasn't just a pair of shoes, though. A person stood in them.

Becca stared at the shoes. She had seen them before and on more than one occasion. As she lifted her head up to look the person in the face she hoped that she was wrong, just this once.

Becca felt sick and she couldn't move as she stared into the eyes of the man whom she had tried so hard to forgive and forget.

"Hey, Babe!" Chase said excitedly. "Surprise!"

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

"Hey, Colb," Don called. He caught Colby just as he was about to step into the elevator.

"What's up?" Colby asked.

"Liz found Becca's phone in the locker room," Don said, holding up the phone. "Can you take it to her hotel?"

"Ah, I don't know, Don."

"Your apartment is the closest to where she is staying and things aren't as rough between you two now."

"Yeah, and I would like it to stay that way," Colby chuckled.

"Come on. It'll be fine."

Reluctantly, Colby agreed and took the phone from Don. "Okay, but if she gets upset you're taking the blame."

"You got it, Idaho," Don grinned.

Colby shook his head and entered the elevator.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

"Chase, you have to _go_," Becca said, trying to keep herself composed. She couldn't believe that he had hopped on a plane and just showed up without any warning.

"Come on, Babe, I-"

"_Don't_ call me that!" she snapped.

"Why are you so upset? I thought you would be happy to see me?"

Becca couldn't believe her ears. Could he really be that much of an idiot? She stepped to one side and pleaded, "Please, just _go_."

"Can you tell me why you keep doing this to me?"

"Keep doing what?"

"Pushing me away?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Chase said. "You never pick up when I call, and now I've just flown across the country to surprise you and you are angry at me. What the heck is going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on, Chase Winters," Becca replied angrily. "What's going on is _nothing_! _You_ made sure of that."

"What?"

Becca was about to continue, but there was a knock on her door. She hesitated a moment before going to answer it. When she did open the door, Becca saw Colby standing outside.

"Hey," he smiled. "You left your phone in the locker room, so Don gave it to me to bring to you."

"Oh, umm, thanks," Becca replied.

Colby noticed that she seemed a little distracted. "Are you okay?"

"I, ah-" she started, but was interrupted.

"Becca, what's going on?" Chase asked, coming around the corner and standing next to her. "Oh, hi," Chase said, holding out his hand to shake Colby's. "I'm Chase. And you are?"

"_This_, is Colby Granger," Becca answered for Colby, as she voluntarily moved closer to him. "He's part of the FBI team here and I have been working with him _very closely_."

Colby raised an eyebrow and threw Becca a glance before saying to Chase, "It's nice to meet you."

"Well, I don't mean to be rude, but Becca and I were in the middle of a conversation," Chase told Colby, hinting for him to make his exit.

Without even thinking Becca slid her arm through Colby's, not allowing him to leave the room. "Actually, Chase," she countered, "I think we were finished."

Colby looked down at her curiously, but somehow came to the conclusion that whatever she was doing, she must have a reason for it.

Chase reached out to take Becca's hand, but she pulled away. "Come on, Rebecca," he said. "What are you doing?"

"What I _should_ have done when I first met you."

"And that is?"

"_Protect_ myself," she replied bluntly.

Colby glanced at Chase and then down at Becca, concern covering his face.

"Oh, so this Agent is your body guard then?" Chase asked in an amused tone.

"No, he's more than that."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Becca didn't know where her next words came from, but upon later examination she realized how ridiculous it all sounded. "Ever since I showed up in L.A. Colby has been very kind and was always there when I needed his help." Colby kept his gaze on her as she continued. "Whenever I've had a really rough day Colby put himself in the line of fire of my bad mood and helped me through it."

Chase took a step forward and Becca tightened her grip on Colby's arm. "So, what you're telling me is that you two are a couple then?" Chase asked.

"Yes." The word came out so easily it almost scared her.

Chase laughed openly. "Do you really expect me to believe that, Babe? I've known you long enough to know when you are lying to me."

"Stop calling me 'Babe', and I'm not lying."

_First she hates me,_ Colby thought, _And now we're apparently dating. Hmm…Interesting._

"I'm sorry," Chase said to Colby. "It's not you, I just can't believe that she actually cares for you."

"Oh please, Chase," Becca interjected. "If I didn't care for him do you think I would do this." Becca turned, put her hand behind Colby's neck and pulled his head down towards her face. She pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. Time seemed to stand still and Becca's heart nearly stopped when she realized that Colby was returning her kiss.

When they finally broke apart, Colby and Becca stared into each other's eyes for a moment as unspoken words exchanged between them.

Becca felt as if her legs were going to collapse underneath her and her heart was pounding, but she forced herself to turn back to Chase. He just stood there staring at her, his eyes holding a look of disdain.

"You do realize that by doing this you're deciding to end our relationship, right?" Chase said.

"No, Chase," Becca laughed, shaking her head, "_You_ made that decision for us when you broke my heart."

"I said I was sorry!" he yelled.

"Yeah, and those were empty words!" she snapped back, tears stinging her eyes.

Chase made no reply and pushed passed them. Becca turned and watched him stomp into the elevator. As soon as he was gone, her whole body began trembling.

Colby helped her over to the couch. "Do you need some water?" he asked.

Becca shook her head. "No, I, ah…I'm good."

They were silent for a long time.

"I should probably go," Colby said. Becca tried to stand up, but he held up a hand. "No, don't get up. It's okay."

"Colby." Becca caught his hand and he turned around. "I'm, ah…Sorry about all of this. I promise I'll explain it to you. I just need some time."

Colby nodded his understanding and left the room, closing the door behind him.

**A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I am back at school now, so I am not sure how often I will be able to post chapters. But writing my story is definitely something that I would like to make time for this semester. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

"_I can't believe what you did…You tell me everything is gonna work out, but I can't believe you, no, no." ~ Gentleman – Between the Trees_

**Chapter 11**

_Becca moved about her apartment, grabbing her purse and sweatshirt. __She was preparing for her family's annual event of dinner at Bonneville's House of Pizza and a highly competitive game of bowling.__T__his was something she always looked forward to every year._

_She heard a knock on the door and assumed it was her oldest brother Josh. He always came up to her apartment whenever they went out, so he could escort her to the parking lot. When she opened the door, Becca was surprised to find Chase standing there instead._

"_Becca," he said, and then noticed that she looked as if she was ready to go out. "Oh, do you have plans tonight? I thought you weren't feeling well?"_

"_I'm feeling better now than I was when you called earlier," Becca replied. "I'm going out with my family. Josh should be coming up soon, so I don't really have time to chat." Becca tried to close the door in his face, but he held up his hand and stopped it._

"_Hey, what's going on with you?" He walked into her apartment and closed the door behind him._

"_Nothing."_

"_Today was the first day in a while that you actually answered my phone calls," Chase said smiling. "Is that any way to treat your boyfriend?"_

"_I've been busy," she lied._

_Chase tried to kiss Becca, but she pushed him away. "Hey, you alright?" Becca didn't answer. "Babe, what's wrong?"_

"_I'm not your 'Babe' anymore!" she shouted._

"_What do you mean?" Chase chuckled. "Is this some sort of late April Fool's joke?"_

"_No, it's just my senses finally catching up with me."_

"_I don't understand."_

"_Really? Because you should!" Becca felt tears start to burn her eyes. "What did I do wrong?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_I loved you and I thought you loved me." Tears began to trickle down her cheeks._

"_I do. I do love you. More than anything."_

"_Yeah, well, apparently not."_

"_Becca, you need to tell me what you are talking about, because I don't have a clue."_

_She stared into his eyes for a long time before saying anything. "What is __**she**__ that __**I'm**__ not, Chase?"_

_He froze. He knew what she was talking about now. "Becca, I-" he started, but she cut him off._

"_Please, __**don't**__ make excuses."_

_Chase looked at her and said, "How did you find out?"_

"_Oh, I don't know. How does every other girl find out that her boyfriend is cheating on her?" she said angrily and then added in a quieter tone, "My brothers were right, I should have been more careful."_

_There was another knock on the door and Becca hurried over to answer it. This time it __**was**__ her brother._

"_Hey, you ready, Beccaboo?" Josh smiled. He noticed the tears that stained her cheeks and a look of concern covered his face. "Becca, what happened?" That's when he noticed Chase standing a few feet away and realized what was going on. "Okay, Chase, it's time for you to leave," he said in a firm tone._

"_I'm sorry, Becca, but we can get past this, can't we?"_

"_Are you serious?" Josh barked. "You cheated on my little sister and that's what you say?"_

"_Chase," Becca said, "I can't do this with you anymore."_

"_But I'm sorry."_

"_You've had four weeks to tell me that!"_

"_Wait, you've known I was cheating on you for that long and you didn't say anything?"_

"_**I**__ didn't say anything?" she exclaimed, putting a hand to her chest. "It's __**you**__ who should have said something!"_

"_Chase, you need to go," Josh insisted._

_It took another five minutes to get Chase out of Becca's apartment, but he eventually left, leaving Becca's heart in pieces._

"_What did I do?" Becca asked as more tears slid down her face._

"_Come here," her brother said and pulled her into a protective embrace. "Now you listen to me, Rebecca Lee Reed," he began firmly. "None of this is your fault. __**None **__**of it**__. I don't __**ever**__ want you blaming yourself for what Chase chose to do. You have grown into an amazing young woman and there is a man out there who will see that and won't let you get away from him." Becca nodded and sniffed back her tears. "I love you, sis."_

Becca lay curled up under the warm comforter on the bed in her hotel room. For the first time in months she had allowed herself to actually dwell on what had happened between her and Chase. But she still wouldn't let herself cry about it. Not yet. She had to go back to the office in a little while and it would not do to have red eyes from crying.

"Oh, the office," she moaned and then began scolding herself. "Why did you have to _kiss Colby Granger_? Was it _really_ necessary?"

Becca knew she would have to explain to Colby about Chase. Other than the guys on her FBI team in Virginia, and a couple of really close girlfriends, only Becca's family knew the real story about Chase Winters. But deep down inside, Becca knew it would be easy to tell Colby. There was something about him. She could tell he was different from any other guy she had ever met; she had seen it in his eyes. Of course, she would also have to explain the kiss. And she had no clue what she was going to say. Had she kissed him just because she was trying to get back at Chase? Had that really been the _only_ thing driving her?

Eventually, Becca mustered up the strength to drag herself out of bed and freshen up before heading back to the office.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

When Becca arrived at the FBI office she found herself peering around every corner, to make sure Colby wasn't around the bend. She finally managed to make it to the locker room without any unwanted encounters and deposited her purse and coat, before setting off to find everyone.

She looked in the bullpen first, but when she didn't find the others there, she went to check the conference room. However, as soon as she stepped foot in the room she realized that was _not_ where she wanted to be.

At one of the tables Sam sat coloring and his uncle sat next to him. If they were the only inhabitants in the conference room, Becca would not have minded. But it was the third party who _also_ sat at the table that concerned her.

_Colby_, she complained in her head. _Oh, come on, this is almost as awkward as when Elizabeth Bennett walked in on Mr. Darcy in the billiard room in Pride and Prejudice._

Colby sat with his back to the door, so Becca was hoping she could escape without being noticed. She turned quietly and was about to walk out the door when the voice of an excited five year old froze her in her steps.

"Becca!" Sam cried. The two men glanced over to where the little boy gazed. Sam hopped onto the floor and scurried over toward Becca. "Do you wanna see my picture?" he asked, his eyes wide with anticipation.

Becca looked into the little boy's face. How could she say no? "Sure, Sam."

He took her by the hand and led her over to the table. Sam climbed back up into his chair and showed Becca his picture. "This is my mommy and this is my daddy," he said, pointing to two of the stick figures.

"And who's this?" she asked, motioning to the smaller figure in the picture that was obviously Sam.

"That's me," he smiled. "I'm holding a balloon."

"I see that. It is a very nice balloon too."

"Do you like to draw?"

"I do."

"Would you like to draw a picture with me?" the little boy inquired.

"Hmm." Becca checked her watch. "Sure, I've got time."

A smile covered Sam's face and he gave her some crayons. "Here you go."

"Why thank you. I just need to get a chair first."

Becca turned to get a chair, but found that Colby had already gotten up and was now standing behind her with one. Becca had avoided making eye contact with him so far, but now she didn't have a choice. She met his eyes and once again found kindness in them.

"Thank you," she finally said, sitting in the chair. Colby nodded in answer and reclaimed his own seat. "So," Becca said to Sam. "What are we drawing?"

"You can draw anything you want to. It can be nice, or weird, or scary, or just whatever. See, Colby drew this one." Sam showed her the picture Colby had drawn of someone on a surfboard riding a big wave. "That's him surfing in Hawaii. Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah," Becca responded. _Of course, he surfs,_ she thought. _And I bet he looks gorgeous on a board, too._ Gathered up in the mental picture of Colby shirtless and surfing, made Becca sigh audibly.

Glancing at Becca, Colby caught her eye and smirked, which caused her to blush and she quickly looked away.

"Do you surf?" Sam asked her.

Becca cleared her throat and replied, "Only on snow."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she snowboards," Colby interjected, a smile still playing about the corners of his mouth.

"Really?" Sam said.

"In Virginia, there aren't waves like they have here or in Hawaii," she replied. "So, I snowboard."

"Do you go with your family?"

"Yep. When I was little my parents taught me and brothers how to ski."

"But I thought you said you snowboard?" the little boy asked quizzically.

"I do now. When I was ten, I told my parents that I wanted to learn how to snowboard like my older brothers."

"Oh, so you must be really good at it then."

Becca chuckled. "Well, I don't know if I'm _really_ good, but I can keep myself from falling over."

Sam turned to his uncle and said, "Uncle Will, when we get home can we go snowboarding?"

William smiled. "Sure, bud."

Megan came into the room and called for Colby and Becca. "Hey, Don wants to see everyone in the other room."

The two agents nodded in acknowledgement and excused themselves.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

"Alright, everyone," Don said once they had all gathered into the room, "We have some issues we need to address before the McCarthys get here. I don't want to worry about it too much now, but after we find these kidnappers, we have to figure out what to do with the McCarthys."

Everyone knew what Don was talking about. Whether or not his wife knew about it, Richard McCarthy had lied to the FBI and hindered a federal investigation. He had obviously asked his brother for help, but never told the FBI about this. Whatever Richard McCarthy's reasoning for it was, the team wouldn't know until he and his wife arrived.

"I just wanted to bring everyone's attention to this matter."

The members of the team nodded their heads solemnly. The thought of having to dispense penalties on Richard McCarthy right after he was reunited with his son didn't seem quite right. But the law was the law and they had taken an oath to uphold it, no matter how hard it was at times.

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Yes, I have finally posted chapter 11! I know it took me long enough. This semester has been so crazy with classes and homework already that I have not had time until now to post. But today I sat down and had a "conference call" with my mom and sister (Riter's Fury) and they helped me edit the chapter **(and gave me some good laughs) **so I could post! :)**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review and let me know how you are liking it! Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Following the team meeting, Becca had decided to go back to the conference room to color with Sam until his parents arrived. There wasn't anything pressing to do and so she figured this would be a fun activity.

"Oh, look at that awesome dog you drew," Becca said to Sam, who grinned widely from the compliment. "Do you have a dog at home?"

"No," the little boy answered, "but I keep asking my daddy if I can get one."

William, who still sat in the room with his nephew, chuckled at this comment. "Yes, you do. I think the last time I was at your house you asked him ten times in a matter of two minutes."

The sandy haired boy smiled sheepishly and went back to his picture.

A few minutes later, Megan entered the conference room. "Hey, guys," she said. "Sam, guess who's here?"

Sam shouted happily and climbed down from his chair. Megan quickly followed him from the room and directed him out to the bullpen, where his parents were waiting.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Sam cried out when he saw them. He ran into their outstretched arms.

The team stood around watching the family reunion. Colby glanced at Becca and was pleased to find a faint smile touching the corners of her mouth. He couldn't wait to see how she would be when this case finally came to an end. Secretly, he was hoping for a smile to grace her lips.

After the family had been given a moment to "catch up", Becca reluctantly brought up the problem still at hand. "Mr. McCarthy," she said. "I'm sorry to have to pull you away, but we still need you to answer some questions."

Richard nodded. "Of course. I'll be back in a bit, Bud," he said to his son and kissed the top of his head.

"Feel free to make yourselves comfortable here," Don said to Mary McCarthy. "And I'm sure Sam can show you where the break room is if you need to something drink."

"Agent Reed," Mary McCarthy said, catching Becca's attention. "Thank you so much."

Becca smiled slightly. "You're welcome," she replied and then turned to follow the team and the two McCarthy brothers to the conference room.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

"Alright," Richard said, "If any of this is going to make sense there are a few things you really need to understand first."

"We're listening," Becca assured him.

Richard rubbed a hand over his face and cleared his throat. "Ok, so you already know what my company does, but do you know we supply computer software and security for the Pentagon?" The team nodded their heads in acknowledgement and he continued, "We keep all of their computer software and security information filed away in our office; just like we do with any other people we do business with. So, if a person is able to get their hands on that information, they can basically get into a lot of top-secret material from the Pentagon."

"Okay, but how exactly does that connect to your son's kidnapping, sir?" Don asked.

Richard sighed. "About three months ago I began to suspect that two of my employees were selling security information from my company."

"And the information you think they took was in regards to the Pentagon," Becca said.

"Yes. I'm sure you know that the company belonged to my father before he handed the reigns over to me. So, the two employees that I suspected were hired about fifteen years ago when my father still ran the company. That's a lot of time they put in and a lot of trust they earned, so they are pretty high up when it comes to being able to access certain documents."

"That would give them the ability to get their hands on info regarding the Pentagon," Megan added.

"Correct," Richard nodded. "And I didn't want to come right out and accuse them of something that I wasn't even sure of myself, so I just kept a close eye on them. I began looking into their backgrounds a little and asked other employees some questions. My two employees must have caught wind of it somehow because the next thing I knew they vanished and then my son was taken right out from under my nose."

"And that's how it all connects to the kidnapping," Becca said, realization dawning on her.

"Right. Shortly after Sam was grabbed, they called me and said it was them who had taken him. They told me that if I wanted him back in one piece I needed to keep my mouth shut and stop trying to figure out what they were doing."

The room was silent for a moment, no one wanting to ask the question that really needed to be answered. Finally, Becca spoke.

"They used your son's life to threaten you so you wouldn't tell us the truth, that I understand," she began, "but why didn't you tell us what had really happened after your brother rescued Sam?"

Richard had been waiting for that question and now he had to answer it. "They were hanging something from my past over my head." Richard was quiet for a moment before continuing. "When I was in my sophomore year of college I got involved with this politically radical group of individuals. They talked me into going to a protest…I don't even remember what it was about now. Things got a bit heated and the police got involved. When my dad found out, he wasn't too happy, but he told me that it was my life so if I wanted to get involved with a bunch of idiots, and have it effect my future in business, then that was my decision."

"Considering your career today, I guess you left the group," Becca assumed.

"Yes. But I guess that one rally was enough to blemish my record, because after William found Sam, my two renegade employees decided to use it as a threat against me in an effort to tell the truth. Everything is politics now. If that story got out, it could destroy my career. It could jeopardize my father's company. I didn't want to be the cause of ruining everything my dad worked so hard for. I didn't do anything illegal that night at the rally, but just the fact that I was involved with it could complicate things." He lifted his head slightly so he could look Becca in the eye. "It finally dawned on me what I was actually doing. I was risking the life of my son just to keep my career safe. I know that sounds ridiculous, and I can't believe how stupid I was, but it's the truth. And I am willing to accept whatever the consequences may be."

Becca nodded, "I appreciate that, Mr. McCarthy."

"Do you have pictures of your employees with you by any chance?" Don asked Richard.

"Yeah." He reached into his bag, pulling out two photos and placing them on the table for everyone to see. "This is Hank Thomas and Roger Simmons."

The team studied the pictures, taking in every detail of the mens' appearance.

"Do you have any idea whom they were informing?" Becca asked.

"No idea," Richard said.

"Alright, so we need to get these guys and find out who 'el Jefe' is," Don said, referring to the boss of the operation.

"I think I can help with that," William said.

Everyone's attention shifted to him. He had been watching the proceedings and hadn't said anything until now.

Becca eyed him curiously. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

He chuckled and smiled. "I'm sorry, but _that_ I can't tell you. Trade secret. I'll find out where they're staying, that way you can put them under surveillance and see if they lead you to anyone."

"Fine," Becca replied reluctantly.

"Good." He stood up from his chair and headed for the door. "I'll be back within an hour to let you know where they are," he called over his shoulder and vanished from the room.

"So what now?" Megan asked.

"Now…we wait," Becca sighed and turned to Richard. "I'm assuming you have already contacted the Pentagon to tell them that there has been a security breech?"

"Yes, as soon as I suspected something, I let them know."

"Okay, good."

"If they have the computer security for the Pentagon there's no telling what major information they might get into," Colby said.

"Which is why we have to hope William can find them quickly," Becca replied.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca, Megan and Liz sat in the break room talking and sipping on steaming hot cups of coffee.

"Do you really think William McCarthy is gonna be able to find the kidnappers within an hour?" Megan asked.

Liz shrugged. "He seems pretty confident."

"Probably," Becca said, taking a sip of her coffee. "He's Black Ops, so he most likely has a few tricks up his sleeve, trust me."

"Oh, do you know some guys in Black Ops?" Liz asked.

"No, but I know what the guys on my team at home are like. They have some pretty interesting tricks, and they're only FBI."

"Rats," Liz said, "And here I thought you could hook me up with a _real_ man."

Becca and Megan both started to laugh.

"Ummm…a _real_ man?" Becca questioned. "What kind of _men_ do you know?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "I just meant that a Black Ops man is a real tough manly man."

Just then Colby walked in. He only caught the very last part of Liz's statement and decided to have some fun with it.

"Talking about me again I see, Miss Warner," Colby teased.

"Aahhh, no," she answered very definitely. "Not. At. All."

"Oh, don't be embarrassed you're doing a marvelous job…of describing me," he grinned. "Besides, you wouldn't be the first woman who described me as 'a real tough manly man'," he said, quoting her.

"Okay, whatever, Granger."

Colby smirked and went over to pour himself a cup of coffee. He realized that the ladies' conversation did not resume and he said, "Don't mind me. Just pretend I'm not even in the room."

_Oh, yeah, like that's easy,_ Becca thought. The drumming of Colby's fingers on the edge of the counter caught her attention. Her eyes traveled up his left arm and she found herself gazing at his biceps. She had never realized before how developed they were.

Colby finished fixing his cup of coffee and turned around to find Becca's vibrant green eyes staring at him. He noticed they held an admiring look. Colby smirked at Becca for the second time that day, causing her to blush once more, and he exited the room.

Becca was filled with horror. She had no clue why she kept sighing and staring at Colby. Well, she did, but she had never had a problem with drooling over good-looking guys before. She knew that for a fact because she worked with four extremely good-looking guys back home in Virginia and she had _never_ drooled over _them_. Could that one kiss between her and Colby really have turned her into a giddy schoolgirl? This was so unprofessional. She couldn't believe how she was acting.

"You alright?" Megan asked, noticing the troubled look on Becca's face.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," she replied, shaking her head in a desperate attempt to vanquish the thoughts of Colby from her mind. "So, anyway," Becca continued, "I may not know any guys in Black Ops, Liz, but I do know some 'manly men'. Just let me know when you wanna take a trip to the East Coast and meet 'em."

Liz laughed. "Will do."

The three female agents continued in conversation, taking sips of their coffees every now and then, passing the time until William McCarthy arrived back at the office.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

David walked through the bullpen and over to his cubicle where he found Colby sitting at his desk doing nothing in particular. He stared at Colby for a long moment.

Colby sat with his elbows propped up on the desk, his chin resting on his folded hands.

"Hello?" David called in a sing-songy voice, "earth to Colby."

Without lifting his chin, Colby turned his head to the left so he could look at his partner. "Is William McCarthy back?" he asked in a disinterested tone.

"No." David rolled his desk chair over and sat next to Colby. "What's up with you?"

"What would you do if a beautiful, intelligent woman kissed you?" Colby asked.

"I hope you got her phone number," David replied enthusiastically.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Well, do you like her?"

Colby pressed his lips together and nodded his head.

"Ok, so what's the problem?" David asked.

Just then, Becca came walking over. She grabbed something from her desk and headed back to the break room. Colby's eyes followed her the entire way. David noticed what had claimed his partner's attention and he turned back to Colby and raised his eyebrows.

"_That_ is the problem," Colby said, answering David's question.

David blinked a couple of times and then a smirk spread across his face. "How did _that_ happen?"

"I have no idea."

"Wait," David said, putting two and two together. "When did she kiss you?"

_It probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell him it happened in her hotel room,_ Colby thought to himself. "It's a little complicated," he finally answered.

"A _little_ complicated?"

"Ok, so it's _very_ complicated."

"So…does she like you then?" David asked hesitantly.

"I'm not sure."

"And _she_ kissed _you_?"

"What, you find that hard to believe, Sinclair?" Colby questioned.

"No, she just doesn't seem like the kind of woman who would go throwing herself at a guy."

"Which is exactly why it's complicated." Colby sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Well," David said after a long silence, "seeing as you are not telling me why it is so complicated, I think _you_ need to figure out on your own if she's worth working through the complications."

Colby's brow furrowed as he contemplated David's words, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of William McCarthy's voice calling to them, "Hey, I found your kidnappers."

**A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. I hope you are enjoying this story. I know I am having fun writing it. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Becca shifted in her seat and turned to look at the man who sat in the back with Megan. "So, tell me again how you found them?" she asked William as they sped off to catch the kidnappers.

"I never told you," he answered.

A smile crossed Becca's face for a brief moment and she shrugged. "Just thought I would try."

"Yeah, well don't bother. I told you it was a trade secret."

"So, where exactly are they staying?"

"They're holding up in a house on East Thackery in West Covina."

"That's a pretty nice neighborhood," Colby interjected. "Are you sure it was them?"

"Are you questioning my ability to track people down, Agent Granger?"

"No, just maybe the fact that the kidnappers would be staying in an area like that."

"Best place to hide is in the place that is most unexpected."

"Did you learn that in spy school?" Megan asked.

William's only reply was a smirk.

Colby pulled onto East Thackery Street, with the rest of the team right behind him. When they had almost reached their destination, they saw two men exiting the house in question. As soon as the men saw the FBI and S.W.A.T. vehicles headed their way they bolted down the sidewalk.

"Unless your two kidnappers went through some kind of machine to change their appearances," William said, "I don't think that's them."

"Really? And what gave you that impression?" Becca replied sarcastically. Without waiting for Colby to stop the SUV, she threw her door opened and jumped out, using the momentum of the vehicle to give her an extra push.

"Becca!" Colby yelled as he slammed on the brakes, but she was already half way down the sidewalk.

"No wonder you like her. She's a hottie," William remarked.

"Shut up!" Colby snapped and hurried after Becca.

"Did you really just say that to him?" Megan asked.

"What?" William shrugged. "I was just making an honest observation."

Megan rolled her eyes and climbed out of the vehicle.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca listened to the rhythmic sound of her feet hitting the pavement as she ran after the two unknown men. She didn't know who they were or what they had been doing in that house, but there was no way she was going to let them escape.

"Hey, guys." Don's voice came in loud and clear over the radio. "Good news is that we found the kidnappers. Bad news…they're dead."

The news caused Becca to loose her footing for a moment, but she quickly regained it, running now with an even greater drive behind each stride. Ahead of her, the two men ran into the yard next door and jumped over a brick wall. Without any hesitation, Becca continued to follow them and leaped over the wall too, dropping easily on the other side. As she continued on, she heard noises behind her and figured it was one or more of her fellow FBI agents.

"Stop! FBI!" she yelled.

Instead of stopping, however, when the two men reached the end of a driveway they graciously knocked a couple of trashcans over into the walkway.

_You really think that is going to slow me down?_ Becca thought. Without skipping a beat, she jumped over the trashcans and ran across the street to where the suspects had headed up another driveway.

Becca was only a few feet behind the men as they ran into the backyard. With one final burst of energy, she lunged forward and grabbed one of the men's arms and spun him around. As soon as he was facing her, Becca wasted no time in slamming her right fist into his face. Not only did the punch nearly knock the man out, but it also thrust him backwards and he landed in the peaceful pool water with a splash.

Glancing over at the second suspect, she saw that Colby and William had already apprehended him. Looking back at the man who was lying in a daze in the pool she figured he probably needed a little help getting out. Becca un-holstered her gun and tossed it onto the ground with her badge and kicked her shoes off before diving into the pool.

William smirked and turned to Colby. He mouthed the words "that was hot", referring to Becca's recent actions, which earned him a glare from Colby. "Hey, if you don't take her, I will," William shrugged.

Becca heard this remark and stared at William as she climbed out of the pool. She eventually looked at the thug she had just dragged out of the pool and said, "You see, this is a problem a lot of men have. They think that women are just something they can have for the taking. Maybe at some point you'll come to realize that kind of thinking only gets you into trouble." And with that, she grabbed her belongings and started walking back to the SUVs with one of the suspects in tow.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

By the time Becca, Colby, and William walked back to the house, it not longer looked quiet like it had when they first arrived. Now it was a crime scene buzzing with agents and police officers. Becca and Colby deposited the two suspects in the SUVs to be guarded by the police and made their way into the house.

"What happened to you?" Megan asked when she saw Becca.

"It's a nice day," she shrugged. "I thought I'd take a swim." Megan chuckled at that remark. "So," Becca continued, looking down at the two bodies in the living room, "What happened here?"

"Well," Don said, "they were both shot in the chest a couple of times at close range, so I think it is safe to assume that they didn't think the killers were a threat to them. I'm guessing you guys caught the two men we saw fleeing from here."

"Yeah," Colby replied. "They're out in the SUVs."

"I think the obvious next step would be to question them," Becca interjected.

"Yeah," Don said. "I'm assuming you would like to go back to your hotel and change into some dry clothes. David and I will start the interrogations. Colb will drive you to your hotel."

Before either party could protest, Don was already heading outside.

As William walked by Colby, he gave his shoulder a playful punch and said, "This is your chance, buddy" and winked before he walked away.

Colby hung his head in slight embarrassment and pursed his lips. Eventually, he lifted his head and gave Becca a sidelong glance. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded and headed out to the car.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Colby parked the car in the hotel lot and turned off the engine. He pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened his door.

"Oh, you don't have to come in with me," Becca said.

"After the thing with that Chase guy, I'd just like to make sure everything's alright," he insisted.

Becca saw the genuine concern in his eyes and she couldn't turn him down. For the first time since Chase had shattered her trust, she felt it blossoming once again in her heart.

When they made it up to her floor, Becca unlocked her door and they went in, the scent of flowers greeting them.

"I think the maid went a little too heavy on the scents," Becca said, but when she walked further into the room, she realized that what she smelled were _actual_ flowers and they were all over her room. "Never mind," she said, "who died?"

"These weren't here when you left?" Colby asked, fingering one of the tags that hung from a vase.

"Nope." Becca walked over to one of the many vases of flowers and looked at the tag and read it and then a few of the others. They all said similar things and were all signed by Chase. "This is his way of 'fixing' things," she said to Colby. "Chase thinks that when there is a problem he can fix it with an abundance of flowers. But the truth is that his commitment will only last as long as these flowers will."

Colby didn't reply; he only listened to what Becca was saying. He watched her closely as she stared at the flowers. He could tell there was so much more she wanted to say, but she apparently couldn't mange to tell him exactly what that "more" was yet. It didn't matter though. He was willing to wait however long he had to until she felt comfortable enough with him to share what was on her mind.

Becca released a short breath and turned to face him. "Okay, um, I'm just gonna go change real quick and then we can get out of here." She grabbed some dry clothes from the closet and disappeared into the bathroom.

When she emerged almost fifteen minutes later she wore a black pantsuit with a white V-neck t-shirt shirt underneath. Despite the use of a blow dryer, her dark hair was still slightly damp, so she had it pulled up in the back with a clip and her bangs flowed across her forehead and were tucked neatly behind left her ear.

Becca noticed a tiny smile play about the corners of Colby's mouth. She tried to keep herself from blushing and pretended not to notice his change of expression. "You ready?" she asked.

"Just waitin' on you." He stood and made his way over to the door, opening it for her and allowing her to walk through first.

"Thanks," she said.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

"We found you carrying an unregistered weapon," David said firmly to one of the men they had caught fleeing from the house earlier. "Why don't you tell me what happened at that house."

The thug apparently wasn't too keen on using his words because he didn't answer.

"We can already charge you with resisting arrest and illegal possession of firearms. Don't make me charge you with obstruction of justice, too," David threatened as he stepped closer to the man.

Still the man didn't respond. David wondered what he was going to have to do to get this guy to say something.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Don stood in another interrogating room with the second suspect. He had been trying to get him to talk for the past thirty minutes or so, but all the man did was sit with his arms crossed over his chest while he stared at the top of the table.

"Come on," Don said once more as he leaned over the table toward the man. "We saw you and your buddy fleeing from the crime scene where we found two dead bodies. You wanna tell me about that?" Still the man didn't answer. "Alright, well, maybe if I give you some more time to think you will be able to remember something." With that, Don pushed off of the table and exited the interrogating room.

Just as Don was leaving the room, Becca and Colby came walking down the hall.

"Hey," Becca said, "What did you find out?"

Don shook his head. "Nothing."

"We'll see about that," she replied and without stopping she pushed through the door and walked right into the interrogation room.

Don looked at Colby. "Please go in there with her and make sure she doesn't do anything crazy."

Colby chuckled and nodded before heading into the room. He positioned himself to one side as he studied Becca for a moment. She stood in front of the table with her arms crossed as she looked down at the man who sat in the chair. The look in her eyes told him that she wasn't going to be leaving the room without answers to her questions.

The man in the chair must have seen the look in her eyes too, because when he looked up at her it almost looked as if he shivered. He hadn't said anything since the FBI had brought him into the room, but now he apparently felt the need to start talking, even if it was just a sorry attempt of sucking up to the new interrogator.

"I see they finally granted my request," he said, a mischievous grin covering his face, as he looked the female agent up and down.

"And what might that be?" she asked, playing along.

"Oh, I think you know." His grin spread wider.

Becca turned to Colby. "Correct me if I'm wrong," she said, "But isn't this the same guy that I talked to earlier about how a lot of men think they can just have women for the taking?"

Colby had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, but now he pushed off of it and walked over to where she stood. "Yep, I'm pretty sure this is the same guy," he said to her.

"That's what I thought." She turned back to the man and asked, "Now, would you like to rephrase your previous 'request'?"

The man chuckled. "They pick 'em feisty these days, I see," he said to Colby, "But then, you guys must get the most fun out of 'em when they're like that, huh?"

"You better watch it," Colby said. "That kind of talk could get you into trouble.

"Yeah," Becca added, "because if you weren't so helplessly handcuffed to that table, I would probably plant a nice right-hook somewhere on your face."

"Ah, but _that_ would be considered police brutality," the man countered, a smirk crossing his face. "And I'm pretty sure you don't want that blemishing your record."

"Well, I don't think she's going to squeal on herself," Colby informed the man, "and as far as I'm concerned, if you came out with a black eye, it was because you tripped and hit your face on the table."

The man smirked as he let out a chuckle. "Man," he said shaking his head, "You Feds really stick together don't you."

"Yep," Becca replied. "So, now that we have that all cleared up, why don't you just tell me what you were doing in that house."

"Oh, no. You're not gonna get information out of me _that_ easily."

"That's fine then," Becca replied. She decided it was time to run a bluff on him. "Your partner in crime is in the room next door and he already told us what we needed to know. I just thought I might ask you too…just in case you wanted to add to what he said. But I can see that you're not interested. That's alright though," she reassured him, "that just means we only have to cut a deal with _one_ of you instead of _both_. It always makes it _so_ much easier on us when one person hangs the other out to dry. Hope you have a nice time in prison, buddy." And with that, Becca turned to leave the room, Colby moving to follow behind her.

"Wait," the man called, causing the two agents to stop in their tracks and turn around to face him.

"Yes?" Becca asked. "Is there something you would like to say?"

The man looked from Becca to Colby and then back again at the female agent. He didn't say anything for a long moment, as he almost seemed to be convincing himself that it was okay to say what he was about to say.

Colby pursed his lips and leaned toward the man. "I'm pretty sure that if you had something to say, then you would have said it by now, so I'm thinking this is just you stalling."

Colby stood upright again. But just as he and Becca were headed for the door, the man blurted out, "We did it. We killed those men." The two agents turned back to face him once more as he began to tell them what had happened.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

By the time Becca and Colby came out of the interrogation room, almost thirty minutes had passed. David had not been able to get anything out of the man he questioned, so he and the rest of the team just sat in their cubicle waiting.

"So, what happened?" Megan asked when Becca and Colby came walking over to them.

"We got him to talk, that's what happened," Becca smirked.

"What?" David said a little annoyed. "I questioned my guy for just as long, if not longer, and I couldn't get him to say _anything_."

"Well, that's because you didn't have _her_ in there," Colby said pointing to Becca. "If any of you ever get into any kind of trouble, hope that you don't have her interrogating you. She's kinda scary."

Everyone laughed, including Becca.

"So, what did he tell you?" Don asked.

"Well, it was definitely him and his friend who killed our two kidnappers."

"Did he say why?" Liz questioned.

"Apparently," Colby said, "they were working for a man named Enrico Valeria. He has ties with some of the major gangs in the area, which is how he got in touch with these two thugs."

"Why would Valeria hire people to kill the kidnappers?" Liz asked. "What does he have to do with any of that?"

"Well," Becca said, "According to our two friends in the other rooms, Enrico Valeria is also known as 'el Jefe'."

"Wait, 'el Jefe'?" David asked. "Like the one that our kidnappers went to see at the bar downtown?"

"The one and only," Colby answered.

"So, Valeria gets Thomas and Simmons, two of McCarthy's employees, to steal computer security information about the Pentagon and then has them killed once he has the information he wants?" Megan said.

"That's what is looks like," Becca replied.

"And just when it looked like this case was finally coming to a close," David added.

Becca chuckled. "Tell me about it. I think I finally might be growing used to the idea that I can't believe this case is officially over until all of the paper work is done and its been filed away."

"I guess we can tell the McCarthy family they can go home now," Don said. "They probably won't be able to help with anything else."

**A/N:** Yes, Chapter 13 was finally posted! :) Hope you enjoyed the Becca/Colby tag team in the interrogation scene. I remembered watching a Numb3rs episode with something similar, so I figured I had to write it into my story.

School has been keeping me pretty busy, but as always I will try to continue to post new chapters! Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Once the McCarthy family had been seen safely off, the FBI team tried to refocus themselves back on the case. But it was hard working on a case that twisted itself into a more complicated mess than it had been the day before.

"Okay," Don said, "So, the two thugs we picked up said that our best chance at finding Valeria would be to look at one of his summer houses up on Mountain Ridge Road in West Covina."

David whistled. "This guy has class. That's one of the areas with some pretty nice houses."

"Bad guys always seem to have the best taste," a voice said.

The team turned around to see Charlie coming towards them.

"Hey, Charlie," Don grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to check and see how that case was coming along," he answered.

"Well, it has taken some pretty crazy twists, but it's coming."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon. How are they treating you?" Charlie said, turning to Becca.

She smiled and nodded. "They're treating very well, thanks."

"Good. Oh, this may seem kinda strange to you," he said scratching his head, "but my dad, Alan, wanted me to invite you over for dinner when this case finally comes to an end. He figured you could use some 'real food', as he put it, and not just take out and hotel food."

Becca smiled. "Tell him thank you. I would like that."

"Great. And of course, the rest of you are invited as well," Charlie said to the team. "Well, I don't want to hold you up. I just wanted to see how things were going."

"Thanks for stopping by, Charlie," Don said. "See ya."

The team watched as the mathematician turned and walked away.

"I still can't believe he can help solve cases with his math," Becca chuckled.

"Neither do the rest of us," Colby replied. "And we're fairly used to the idea by now, too."

"Alright," Don said. "I say we go pay this 'el Jefe' as visit. What do the rest of you think?"

The team nodded their heads in agreement and they gathered their things before heading down to the parking garage.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

As soon as the FBI team had arrived at Enrico Valeria's house with S.W.A.T., Don directed them to different parts of the outside of the house.

Becca and Colby moved around to the back of the house with a S.W.A.T. team and crouched a short distance away from the back door. Becca felt a chill run up her spine and she shifted uncomfortably.

Colby, who was positioned behind Becca, noticed her uneasiness and placed a hand on her arm. To his surprise she didn't try to move away. She simply turned her head and gave him a sidelong glance, an unspoken worry filling her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Becca shook her head. "I don't know. It's seems so quiet." She paused and bit her bottom lip. "I just…I have a bad feeling about this, that's all."

"It'll be alright," he replied, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze.

"I know." Becca nodded and turned her attention back to the door.

The two agents heard Don's voice start over their radios. "Okay, Becca and Colby, you guys can make your move into the house now. Careful."

"Got it," Colby answered.

He and Becca stood to go inside, with S.W.A.T. in front of them holding up their shields.

As they edged closer to the door, an explosion ripped the door apart, forcing S.W.A.T. and the two agents to the ground, some ten feet away. They struggled to their feet in time to see two men running from the house and across the backyard.

"Stop! FBI!" Becca and Colby yelled at the same time.

The two men ignored the order and continued to run.

Becca saw one of them pull something out from under his shirt and almost didn't realize in time what it was. "Gun!" she yelled. She pulled her out her own gun and returned fire as she began to follow the men over the ridge in the yard that led to a street down below. She ducked for cover as more bullets came flying at her, but this action resulted in her losing sight of the two men. She clenched the hair on the top of her head and let out an exasperated sigh.

Becca realized that Colby hadn't done anything since the door had been blown from the side of the house. She turned back to the house to see where he had gone. As soon as she turned, however, her heart felt like it dropped to her feet. There, lying on the ground in a heap was Colby Granger.

_No! No! No!_ Becca thought. _Not him!_ She ran over to where he lay and fell to the ground next to him. "Colby," she said urgently. "No, no!" She noticed that he had blood on his hand and she could feel herself growing anxious. "Hey, it's gonna be okay," she said, searching desperately for the source of blood. She rolled Colby onto his back to see where he had been hit.

Colby groaned deeply. "Make sure you never quite this job to become a nurse," he said, his face grimacing. "You aren't very good at being gentle with wounded patients."

"You're conscious," she replied, almost in surprise.

"Yeah." Colby tried to sit up, but Becca stopped him. "It's just my arm," he informed her. "And besides, I think it was just grazed with the bullet."

"You're not hurt anywhere else?" She felt almost faint with relief. "Just your arm? That's the only source of blood?"

"Yeah, it's just my arm." He gave Becca a tiny smile and she blushed. As much he liked her being so concerned about him, it caused him to be a little worried about _her_. He had never seen her act this way before. "Hey, are you alright? You didn't get hurt from the blast did you?"

"Come on," she said, avoiding his question, "We need to get your arm cleaned up. Hopefully you won't need stiches."

"Becca," Colby began, but whatever he was going to say next was cut short as Megan and David came hurrying out from what was left of the back door.

"Hey, what happened?" Megan asked.

"I don't really know," Becca admitted. "The door blew open, literally, and two guys came running out. I tried to chase after them, but they had guns and were firing at us. Then they were gone, just like that. It all happened so fast…"

"I see Superman over here decided to take a bullet for the team," David said. "Why does that not surprise me?" He laughed.

"Actually, the bullet only grazed my arm," Colby replied.

"What? That's it?"

Colby shook his head. "Yeah, man. Sorry to disappoint you. I'll try harder next time."

"You'd do that for me?" David asked in a joking tone.

"I'd do anything for you."

"Okay," Megan said interrupting. "If you two 'ladies' are done, I think we have things to do."

The four agents made their way through the house and out into the front yard where they saw Don putting Enrico Valeria into the car.

"Hey, you two alright?" Don asked Colby and Becca.

"Yeah," Colby answered. "Just a scratch."

Don stared at Colby and gave him a skeptical look. "Really? Well, an ambulance is already on its way, so when they get here they can check it."

"I don't need it checked. I just need something to clean it with."

"Okay, fine then. But they're still gonna look at it."

Nearly fifteen minutes passed by the time the ambulance and police showed up at Enrico Valeria's house.

Before going to talk with the policeman in charge, Don glanced at Colby. "The ambulance is right over there," he said.

"Don-" Colby started, but he was interrupted.

"Becca," Don said, "Would you please escort Colby over to the ambulance to get his arm looked at?" And with that, he walked away.

"Let's go," Becca said, grabbing Colby's good arm and practically dragging him over to the ambulance.

"You need your arm looked at?" the EMT asked when they reached him.

Colby started to answer. "No, its fi-"

"Yes, he does," Becca replied. She turned back to Colby. "Sit," she commanded.

Colby sighed and did the only thing he could. He moved forward and sat on the back of the open ambulance and pulled up the sleeve of his t-shirt.

"Ah, that's doesn't look too bad," the EMT remarked.

"That's exactly what I've been trying to tell everyone," Colby chuckled.

"I'll just clean it up and put a bandage on it. Then you'll be all set." It didn't take too long for the EMT to tend to Colby's arm and soon he said, "Alright, you're all set. It should heal up nicely."

"Thanks," Colby replied.

"Are you okay?" the man asked Becca. "You look like you got a little beat up somehow." She had a few visible scrapes on her face and arms, but nothing too serious.

"No, I'm fine," she answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she smiled. "Thanks."

The man nodded and walked away to see if anyone else needed his assistance.

After a moment, Becca sat down next to Colby on the back of the ambulance. As she moved to sit though, the muscles in her right hip screamed at her. She tried to suppress her groan, but didn't do a very good job.

"Nothing wrong with you, huh?" Colby chuckled.

"There isn't," Becca lied.

Colby didn't believe her and raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Okay, so I'll probably have a big 'ol bruise on my hip that will rival the most abstract and colorful Picasso painting. It wouldn't be the first time though, I'll be fine."

"I know you will."

Becca couldn't quite understand it, but she felt as if there had been more meaning behind Colby's words.

They sat for a while in silence before either of them spoke again.

"I haven't forgotten, you know," Becca said quietly.

Colby cast her a sidelong glance and furrowed his brow. "Haven't forgotten what?" he asked.

"That I need to tell you about…about Chase."

"Becca, you know that you really don't have to tell me if you don't want to, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I…I want to."

The admittance of this came as a huge shock to Colby. Immediately he remembered what David had asked him when he told his partner how he felt about Becca. '_I think you need to figure out on your own if she's worth working through the complications.'_ At that moment, Colby knew what his answer was.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Once again, Becca stood in the interrogation room, only this time it was a different suspect and Don stood in the room with her instead of Colby.

"I told you," Enrico Valeria said, "I will not give you the information you want."

"Really?" Don said. "Well, I guess you're of no use to us then, so we can stick you back on the streets and leave you to the two guys we saw fleeing from your apartment."

"No! You have to protect me from them."

"Not unless you tell us what we want to know," Don countered.

Valeria's brow furrowed as he glared at Don. "Ustedes federales estupidos siempre recurren a las amenazas."

Becca tilted her head and walked over to where the man sat. She placed her hands on the table and leaned down until they were at eye level. "Por lo menos los decimos en una idoma que puedan entender," she replied.

The look on Valeria's face when he realized Becca spoke Spanish was one of genuine surprise. That must have been enough to get him to talk because the next thing he said was, "If I tell you, then you have to promise to protect me."

"We'll see what we can do," Don replied.

Valeria looked between the two agents and then began telling them what they wanted to know.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca and Don came rushing out of the interrogation room, alarming the rest of the team.

"What's wrong?" Liz asked.

"The boss is high tailing it out of the country," Becca replied as she pulled out her phone and called her FBI team back in Virginia.

"What?" David questioned. "I thought Valeria _was_ the boss…you know, with the whole 'el Jefe' thing?"

"Nope," Don replied. "We'll explain in a minute."

"Jason," Becca said to the man who had picked up the phone on the other end of the line. "Gather the boys up and get over to Richmond International Airport…yeah, you'll be looking for a man by the name of Elliot Walker…he should have a small private plane which he stores on the east end of the airport…don't let him get off the ground…thanks, let me know."

"Can someone tell us what is happening now?" Megan asked. "I can't handle the suspense anymore."

"Valeria said he wasn't the 'top man' of the operation," Don began. "Apparently, the two men that fled his house earlier were assassins sent by his boss, Elliot Walker."

"Okay, so why does his boss wanna kill him, though?" Liz asked.

"Believe it or not, it's because he kidnapped Sam McCarthy."

"Seriously?" David questioned.

"Yeah," Becca interjected. "When McCarthy's two employees got nervous when Mr. McCarthy started 'snooping' around, they panicked and Valeria told them to just kidnap Sam."

"So, the kidnapping was never part of their original plan?" Megan asked.

"Nope." Becca couldn't help but laugh. "The only reason we ever found out about the compromised situation to the computers in the Pentagon was because of Sam's kidnapping."

"So, that's most likely why Walker wanted Valeria killed," Don said.

"Well, that and he probably didn't want to split the proceeds," Becca added.

"What exactly did Valeria say in Spanish?" Don asked curiously.

"He said that we're stupid feds who always resort to threats."

"Oh, that sounds great. And how did you reply?"

"I said at least we say them in a language he can understand."

"Nice reply," David commended her. "Thinking on your feet."

"I try," Becca smiled.

"So," Colby said. "I guess we're just waiting now for you team to call back?"

"Unfortunately, yes," she answered. "Waiting and praying that my team can get to Walker before his plane leaves the ground and he disappears forever."

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to post my next chapter. The last 6 weeks of school were insanely busy. But, I just finished finals this week and I am home for the summer! Hopefully I will get the last of this story written so you can all find out what happens! Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Becca sat once more in the break room, waiting. It almost felt as if that was all she had done since being in L.A.

She took a sip of her coffee. She had never really liked plain coffee. She was more of a specialty coffee kind of girl, but sometime during this case she had started drinking regular coffee, if only to keep herself going. She sighed and sat back in the chair.

"Sitting down on the job, huh?" Don said, walking into the room.

Becca chuckled. "Yeah, the funny thing is that it's actually okay to do in this line of work."

"Tell me about it." Don poured himself a cup of coffee and sat across the table from her. "So, the case is almost over. How do you feel?"

Becca gave a mirthless laugh. "I don't know. I won't believe it's over until I get the call saying they caught Walker and that he really _is_ the top guy."

"Understandable. You handled this case really well." Becca shrugged in response. "No, I'm serious. I was telling my superior about you this morning. You're a great agent. We don't have many like you here in L.A., you know."

"Well, thank you. I appreciate it."

Don took a couple sips of his coffee as he thought for a moment. "This may seem strange to you, and I know L.A. is far away from your home, but it'd be great if you would stay here and be a part of my team. You'd be a great addition and I know everyone else agrees with me," Don said.

Becca stared at him wide eyed. She didn't know how to respond. She hadn't expected to hear that question. "I, ah…I don't know what to say."

"I know this is kind of sudden and it's okay if you decided not to stay," Don added. "Just let me know what you wanna do whenever you're ready."

Becca nodded. "Thanks. I will." Her phone started to ring and she looked at the caller. "It's Jason."

"I'll be waiting out in the bullpen." Don left the room.

Becca answered her phone quickly. "Hey, Jason, what happened?"

"We got him," he replied.

Oddly enough, those three words weren't quite enough to cause Becca to believe the case was actually over. "Was _he_ really the boss?" She held her breath, waiting for Jason's response.

"Yeah, he really was the top dog."

Becca felt the last of the weight lift off her shoulders, but she didn't respond.

"Becca?" Jason said. "You still there?"

"Yeah," she answered in a quiet voice. "It's over. Everyone's where they should be now."

"Yep."

"So, did Walker say why he did it?"

"As it turns out, Elliot Walker is a marine who went AWOL about four months ago. His story is similar to some other soldiers'. He devoted himself to serving his country, but he lost everything else in his life. So he decided to get back at his country by selling their secrets."

Becca let out a pained sigh. She couldn't help but think of her two youngest brothers. She knew they would never do anything like that, but she wondered if they ever felt like their service was in vain.

They were silent for a moment before Jason spoke. "So, I guess you'll be coming home soon," he said.

"I don't know…" Becca replied, thinking of Don's offer.

"Why not?"

"I mean, I guess…ah…"

"What is it? Did you meet someone?" His curiosity spiked.

"No…well, sort of…maybe…" She felt like her thoughts were jumbled inside her head.

"You did, didn't you?"

Becca could almost hear Jason grinning. She sighed. "There's a guy here and…I don't know…he just seems…different."

"Different is good."

"I know." She paused before continuing. "Don, the boss here…he offered me a job on the team."

"What? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, it is."

"So, what's the problem?"

"I…I'm afraid." There it was. She finally said it out loud.

"Becca," Jason replied. "Don't _ever_ be afraid to move forward. No matter what happened in your past, it's your past. You can _always_ move forward."

"But what about my family?"

"I know your family and I can guarantee they'll be happy for you. Yeah, they'll miss you, but they won't want to hold you back from doing what you feel you need to do."

"Then what about you and the rest of the guys?" she asked.

Jason laughed. "Are you trying to find excuses to come home? You know we'll be fine. We might be extremely lost without you at first, but we'll figure it out. We always do."

"Yeah, with _my_ help," she chuckled.

"Aahh…okay, so you got me there, but still, we'll manage somehow if you decide to stay. Trust me. Everything has a way of working out."

"This case is proof of that."

"Exactly."

"Alright, well I should probably go tell everyone what happened," Becca said. "Thanks for talking, Jason."

"Not a problem. You know I'm always here."

"Talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye, Becca."

Becca ended the call and walked out to the bullpen. She found everyone gathered in the cubicle waiting for her.

"Did they get to him in time?" Liz asked.

"Yeah," Becca replied. She told them what Jason had found out from Elliot Walker.

"Wow," Megan said, her brow furrowing. "That's really sad."

"War experiences can make a guy do some pretty crazy things sometimes," Colby said. The tone in Colby's voice told Becca that he knew what he was talking about.

Everyone was silent for a several minutes as they thought about Elliot Walker and the charges he would be facing.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca stood outside, leaning her arms on the railing. She peered over railing at the ground below. The case was finally over and the paperwork was mostly finished. Life was back to normal again. Well, as normal as it would ever get for an FBI agent.

She began to think about everything that had happened since her arrival in L.A. But she did not have the chance to mull over her thoughts for long before a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Becca Babe," Chase called.

Becca's initial shock turned into annoyance as she realized who it was that called her name. She took a deep breath and slowly turned around to face the man who had caused her so much pain in the past few months.

"What do you want, Chase?" she answered icily.

"To talk?" he replied.

"I don't have anything else to say."

"Well, I do." He stepped closer. "Come on, Becca. I never wanted this to happen."

"Yeah, well…it did."

Chase looked at her closely. "You know what the first thing was I noticed about you?"

"Stop it, Chase!" she spoke through gritted teeth. "I can't keep doing this with you. I am trying to move on, but you keep showing up and pulling me into the past."

"Good." He walked over to her and took hold of her hand. "That's exactly where I want us to be."

Becca pulled her hand away from his. "No! You can't keep doing this."

"You'll thank me later for being so persistent," he smirked and leaned forward to kiss her.

"What are you doing?" Becca shouted and shoved him away.

"Becca?" Colby said moving quickly toward her. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine," she replied. She hadn't noticed that he had come outside.

Fine. That seemed to be her favorite word. Colby knew everything wasn't "fine", so he stepped nearer to Becca.

"What?" Chase scoffed, motioning toward Colby. "Does he follow you everywhere? I guess he _is_ your bodyguard, then, huh?"

"Hey," Becca growled at Chase. "I'd watch it if I were you. You're treading on thin ice."

He chuckled, a smug look crossing his face. "Come on, Babe, you know you want me."

He moved forward again, but this time Becca found no reason for restraint. She brought her right fist up and rammed it into his face. Chase staggered backwards.

_Hmm…William McCarthy was right,_ Colby thought. _She is hot._

Chase wiped the back of his hand across his nose. When he pulled his hand away he was surprised to see there was blood.

"I'm dead serious this time, Chase." Her voice held a threatening tone. "_We._ _Are._ _Over._ We have been for months. So get used to it, because I don't want you coming anywhere near me ever again."

Chase studied Becca for a moment. He had never seen this side of her. In their relationship, it had always been easy to influence her without her realizing it. But the woman standing in front of him now was not going to be persuaded to do his bidding this time. The expression on Rebecca Reed's face unnerved him. Chase shifted his gaze and his eyes fell on Colby who now stood within inches of Becca. Colby's crossed arms and granite-like expression told Chase that the agent wouldn't allow him to pursue Becca any longer. That didn't stop him from getting in one last jab.

Chase turned his attention back to Becca. "You've got my number. Call me when you get lonely."

Colby lowered his arms and stepped forward, but Becca reached out and grabbed his arm. He turned toward her.

She shook her head. "Don't."

He stared into her vibrant green eyes for a moment before nodding his acquiescence.

Chase snorted. "How cute. It's like Beauty and the Beast. I let you two decide who's who." He smirked as he walked away.

Becca noticed Colby's jaw and neck muscles twitch. She thought he was probably more upset than she was at the moment. "Hey," she said, squeezing his arm. "It's okay…_I'm_ okay."

Colby looked down at her. "Sorry. Guys like that just piss me off."

"I know, me too. So you can imagine my surprise when I realized I was dating one of them."

He chuckled. "Well, I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore."

She smiled in response and they headed back inside.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Becca lay on the bed in her hotel room that night. She let out a long sigh as she stared at the ceiling. It was white with textured bumps. It reminded her of what her life had been like for the past few months. Rough. Everything had been so hectic. But now, the kidnapping case was finally over and after a punch in the face and some stern words to Chase, Becca knew he was finally out of her life. She still had one final decision to make, though.

Don had asked her to stay in L.A., to be part of his team. If she decided to remain here, there would definitely be perks, but she hated the thought of moving away from her family. She felt like she needed a fresh start and this would be the perfect opportunity. She would be able to continue doing what she loved and not have to adjust to working with a new team, since she had already been doing that.

Too tired to think about it anymore, Becca sighed and rolled onto her side, curling up into a ball. She hugged the big comforter close to her and tucked it under her chin.

_I'll make my final decision tomorrow,_ Becca thought as she drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this one, but I hope it was worth the wait! :) Leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	16. Chapter 16

_When you feel like breaking. When your heart keeps waiting. When the tears being to flow, I wanna let you know, oh I'll never let you go. ~Colbie Caillate - Never Let You Go_

**Chapter 16**

The following evening Becca stood in the lobby of the hotel waiting for Megan to arrive. They were having dinner at the Eppes residence, but since Becca had no idea where that was Megan had agreed to pick her up.

She wasn't waiting long before Megan pulled up in front of the hotel. Becca climbed into the vehicle and they drove away.

The two women didn't talk much as they headed to the Eppes home. Megan cast a sidelong glance at Becca. The side of her head was resting against the window and she looked like she was in another world.

"You're awfully quiet," she said.

Becca lifted her head. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Even with the case being over?"

"Oh yeah."

"You must have had a lot on the waiting list then," Megan joked.

Becca chuckled. "Something like that."

Shortly after, Megan drove into the semi-circular driveway of the Eppes' home and parked behind the line of cars.

"Looks like we're the last ones here," Megan said as she and Becca climbed out of the vehicle.

The two women made their way up the walkway to the door. Megan reached out and pressed the button to ring the doorbell. They didn't have to wait very long before the door swung open and they were greeted with the smiling face of Allan Eppes.

"Hey, welcome, welcome," he said, stepping to the side to let Megan and Becca into the house. He gave Megan a hug and when they parted he said to the second woman, "You must be Becca." He reached out and shook her hand. "I'm Allan. It's very nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Becca replied.

"Make yourself at home," he said. "Mí casa es su casa."

Becca smiled. "Oh, gracias."

Megan led the way into the living room and Becca followed behind her.

They found David, Colby, and Liz watching in amusement as the Eppes brothers argued over some sports game and it's ending result. Don appeared to be losing, however, because Charlie was using statistics and other types of crazy mathematical ideas to argue his point. No one seemed to understand what Charlie was saying except for a second woman and another man who sat close to Charlie.

"Oh, hey, you guys are here," Liz said, forcing the argument to come to a close, much to the disappointment of Don and Charlie. They had both been dead set on proving their point.

"Glad you both could make it," Don said.

"Becca," Charlie said. "This is my girlfriend Amita. And this is my good friend Larry."

The three individuals shook hands and exchanged greetings.

"Would either of you two ladies like anything to drink?" Don asked them. "Water, soda, beer…"

"I'll wait till dinner," Megan answered.

"Okay. Becca?"

"I'm good for now," she replied. "Thanks."

Whether she did it purposefully or not, Megan sat down on one of the couches next to David, leaving only one empty spot for Becca: on the other couch next to Colby. Becca hesitated for a moment, but not wanting to cause an awkward moment, she took the seat next to Colby.

Becca sat and tried to relax so that she didn't appear as awkward as she felt. Thankfully, she hadn't been sitting long when Allan came out of the kitchen and announced that it was dinnertime.

"Smells great, Allan," Amita said as they made their way over to the table.

"Thank you," he replied. "Okay, Charlie and Amita, you two can sit down at that end of the table…" Allan directed everyone to his or her seats.

Becca was not surprised when Allan placed her in the seat directly next to Colby. She shrugged to herself and sat down. There was nothing she could do about it anyway.

The table was covered with a delicious, home cooked meal of seasoned chicken, buttery green beans and mashed potatoes, corn, a leafy green salad, and a large loaf of specialty bread.

The dinner conversation turned out to be just as pleasant as the meal. Funny and memorable stories were re-told, friendly banter started, and laughter echoed throughout the room. No one could have asked for a better way to spend an evening.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

A while after the conversation had carried itself into the living room, Becca excused herself and managed to wander outside to the backyard. She had been enjoying herself thoroughly, but she needed a moment alone.

She sat on the bench beside the little Koi pond. Breathing in the fresh evening air, she watched the fish swim lazily in the water.

"Hey," Colby said appearing beside her. Becca jumped slightly. She hadn't heard him approaching. "Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," Becca replied.

"Do you mind if I sit down?"

She slid over to make room for him and he sat down.

"So…" Colby said. "I bet you're pretty happy to have this case done and over with," he added.

"You have no idea," Becca chuckled.

They sat in companionable silence for a moment. The only sound came from the chirping crickets who where hiding somewhere in the grassy yard.

"So, ummm, about Chase," Becca began. "I, ah-"

Colby held up his hand. "I just want to let you know that I would understand if you don't want to tell me anything."

Becca bit her lip and looked down at her folded hands as she felt her cheeks flush slightly. Colby's thoughtfulness amazed her. "Thank you for that," she said looking up at him. "But after everything I have put you through, Ithink you _deserve_ to know why I've been such a jerk."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure this is what you want to do."

Becca nodded and swallowed hard. She could feel her emotions beginning to swell within her. If she was going to cry in front of Colby, which she probably would, she wished the tears would at least wait until _after _she had finished her story. She had been holding everything back for so long. Becca blinked several times before telling Colby what had happened between her and Chase.

"We dated for a about six months." Becca looked up into the starry sky as she spoke. "He was everything I ever wanted in a man, or at least I thought he was. He was handsome, charming, funny…we fell in love at first sight." Becca chuckled mirthlessly as she chewed on her bottom lip. "When my family met him they really liked him, but the more they got to know him, their opinion changed. My brothers especially. They are always been very protective."

A gentle breeze blew through the air. In the moonlight, the small tear that slipped from the corner of Becca's eye glistened. But she didn't wipe it away.

"My brothers told me to be careful. They had always warned me about guys like Chase Winters, but I didn't listen. I was too blinded by my 'love' for him." A few more tears slid down Becca's cheeks as she faced the memory.

"What happened?" Colby asked when Becca didn't speak.

Becca lifted her head slowly and looked up into Colby's eyes. "One day I was sitting in my car outside of his apartment building, waiting for him to get back from work. I had been cooking and baking that day and was going to surprise him with dinner and dessert." Becca closed her eyes as she recounted the event. "I, ah…I was about to climb out of my own car when I saw Chase pull up, but, umm…well, there was a woman with him. He couldn't keep his hands off her…they looked like a high school couple making out behind the bleachers."

The look on Colby's face displayed a mixture of anger and disgust. He never could understand the selfish attitude some guys had when it came to their dating lives.

Becca's voice cracked as she continued to speak. "I just sat in my car and watched _my_ boyfriend walk into his apartment with his arm around another woman." Becca began to shake as she cried.

Without hesitation, Colby wrapped his arms around her. "Shh. Shh. It's okay," he said to her soothingly.

She allowed herself to be comforted by his embrace as she buried her face against him. Colby could feel Becca's tears beginning to soak through his shirt, but he didn't care. He just held her tighter.

What hurt Becca the most was that she had let herself believe a lie; she thought she had known Chase, but she had been wrong. "Why did he cheat on me?" Becca asked.

"I don't know," Colby said as he rested his chin on her head and stroked her hair. "But it was the worst decision he ever made."

"I can't believe I thought he really loved me."

"Maybe he did, but I think he loved himself more."

Through her tears, Becca managed to chuckle.

"I'm glad you can still laugh," Colby remarked. "That's a good sign."

Becca pulled back slightly. "It is?" she asked as she wiped the back of her hand across her eyes.

"Yeah, it means you're gonna pull through this," Colby said, giving her a tiny smirk.

"Really?"

"Mhmm."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because when a person gives up, one of the first things to go is their ability to laugh."

"And you know this how?" Becca asked curiously.

Colby looked her in the eye for a moment before saying, "Because I've been there."

"Hmm, well, maybe you can tell me about it sometime."

"It's kind of a long story. You gonna be around long enough for me to tell you?" Colby asked.

"Well, Don asked me to stay and work with you guys."

"Yeah, he mentioned that he asked you."

"Would that be alright with you?" she wondered.

"What about your family?" he said, skirting her question.

"They won't be thrilled, but they'll understand. I never thought staying here would be an option for me. But then, I didn't know what I would find here," Becca said.

"I hope you like what you found," Colby smirked.

Becca bit the inside of her lip and smiled as she glanced down at the ground. "Yeah."

Colby's smirk turned into a smile. "Well, to answer your question then, I guess it would be alright with me if you stayed."

"Good, that means I will have enough time to listen to your long story." After a short silence Becca said, "We should probably head back inside. Everyone will be wondering where we went off to."

"I'm sure they have come up with some interesting theories by this point," Colby joked.

They both laughed as they headed back toward the house.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Later that evening, Colby lounged on the couch in the living room of his small apartment. He hadn't felt like going to bed just yet, so he sat sipping on a beer while he watched one of his favorite movies. It was a spy movie, which his friends found it extremely ironic.

As he watched the movie, he couldn't help but grin every time the leading female character came on screen. Her stubborn, independent attitude and other mannerisms reminded him a lot of Becca.

Thinking about Becca, Colby was reminded of a conversation he and his dad had one day when they were out fishing.

"_How did you know mom was the right girl for you dad?" asked fifteen-year-old Colby Granger._

"_Well, your mother always challenged me in the areas I was weak," his father answered. "Even before we started dating, if there was something I needed to work on, she would always come along side me and help me through it. Then, when we had been dating a while, I realized that nothing else in the world mattered."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_His father was quiet for a moment as he tried to think of the best way to explain what he meant. "When I was with her, everything else in the world just sort of…faded away. I wasn't a man with things to stress out about or worry over. I was just a boy in a vast, adventurous world sitting under the moonlight on a dock holding a hand of the girl of my dreams."_

"_Really?" Colby asked._

"_Really." He nodded his head. "Son, if there ever comes a time when you aren't sure if the girl you've got your eye is the one for you, ask yourself two questions: 'Does she challenge me in a healthy way?' and 'What am I thinking about when I am with her?'. And, if you're just thinking about sex, then you need to screw your head on properly, son."_

Colby sniffed. That had been one of the last fishing trips he and his dad had gone on before his father died. They often had conversations like that on their trips. Colby knew that conversation had probably been one the most helpful to him over the years. He realized now the reason his prior romantic relationships had never gone very far was because subconsciously, he always asked himself those two questions.

He thought more in depth about those two questions and how they pertained to his relationship with Becca. She definitely challenged him, and not just because she was stubborn. Tonight, he had promised to tell her about his long story, which he knew would include his dealings as a spy. He hadn't spent much time with her outside of work, but whenever he was around her, he was captivated. When he saw her smile, he couldn't help but smile himself, and when she was embarrassed, he couldn't help but grin.

So, whether or not he was technically "in love" with Rebecca Reed, he didn't know, but there was one thing Colby did know: he was extremely happy that she was staying in L.A.

**A/N: Hope you are enjoying the story. Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review and let me know how you liked it. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Becca entered the office the next day and went to find Don. She had made her decision about his offer to stay and she needed to tell him.

"Hey, Don," she said when she found him in his cubicle.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I've been thinking about your offer to stay here in L.A."

"Oh yeah?" Don sat back in his chair and folded his hands. "What did you decide?"

"I'm gonna stay," she answered.

"I'm glad you're staying and I'm sure the rest of the team will be too," he smirked. _Especially a certain agent from Idaho,_ he thought.

"I do have to go back home and sort everything out there first."

"Absolutely." Don stood and reached out to shake Becca's hand. "Welcome to the team, Agent Reed."

Becca smiled. "Thanks."

She turned away and headed into the break room to make herself a steaming cup of chamomile honey tea. She was not alone for long before someone entered.

"Good morning," Colby greeted her as he walked into the room. The lopsided grin on his face made his dimples more prominent.

"Hi," she replied. The way Colby smiled at her made her blush. No one had ever looked at her in the way that Colby was at that moment; not even Chase. "Okay," she said. "You can stop smiling now."

"Sorry," he chuckled. He looked down at the ground for a second and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm just glad that you're staying."

"I am too. So did you come in here for coffee or did you just want to stand there and grin?"

"Originally?" he asked and she nodded. "I came in here for coffee."

"Well then, you should probably get some." Becca walked passed him and started to head out the door. "I'm going to finish my paper work."

"Oh, Becca," Colby said, stopping her.

"What?"

"When were you planning on going home?"

"I have a flight booked for tomorrow. Why?"

"Because I haven't had the chance to take you out yet."

"Actually," Becca said, "You did get me a sub that one afternoon and then you took me to a breakfast café another time."

"Yeah, but those don't count. I had to make you let me pay for your sub and the whole breakfast café…I practically had to _force_ you to go. So you technically weren't a willing party either of those times."

Becca rolled her eyes. "True."

"So, can I take you out to dinner tonight?"

Becca hesitated for a moment and Colby thought she might say 'no'. She _had_ just resolved things with Chase. But in the next moment Becca answered, "Yes, you may."

Colby smiled. "Good. I'll pick you up at your hotel around six-thirty."

"I'll be ready."

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

"Hey, can I have everyone's attention for a sec," Don said, as he walked toward the cubicle. Everyone turned his or her chairs around to face Don.

"Don," Liz interjected, "If it's about Colby taking naps in the locker room when he's supposed to be working, you don't have to worry. He has promised not to do it anymore." She turned and flashed Colby a teasing grin.

Colby knew she was only picking on him, but he still decided to defend himself. "What? When have I _ever_ taken naps in the locker room?" The grin on Liz's face widened and Colby shook his head.

"Isn't it nice to be loved," David said to the agent from Idaho as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, it's just peachy," he said, allowing a faint smile to touch the corners of his mouth.

Don chuckled at his team's joking. "What I _actually_ wanted to say is 'thank you' to you all for your hard work on this case. I know it was pretty crazy at times, but you all did a great job."

Heads nodded in appreciation as Don continued.

"I also want to let you know that Becca, who did exceptionally well with this case by the way, has taken me up on my offer and has decided to stay and join our team."

"Welcome to the team," Megan said.

"Yeah," David added, "We're glad to have you."

Liz leaned over to Colby and said quietly, "You probably wouldn't have even let you leave anyway."

Colby hung his head and chuckled.

"All right, well that's all I had to say," Don said, "So whenever you guys are finished with your paper work you can head home."

Don left and everyone finished up what they were doing.

Becca stood from her chair and went over to Colby's desk. She smiled when she noticed the fishing lure his dad had given him hanging from his lamp. She thought it was sweet that he kept it there. She was about to say something when another item on Colby's desk caught her eye. It was a frame that held two pictures of men in Army uniforms, both of which Colby was in.

"Are those some of the guys that were in your unit?" Becca asked, motioning to the photo.

Colby turned his attention to the frame and nodded his head. "Yeah."

She pointed to the second picture of Colby and another guy that had been stuck in the bottom left hand corner of the frame and said, "Looks like the two of you were really close."

"That's Dwayne. Yeah, we were pretty close."

"Past tense?" Becca asked, picking up on Colby's use of the word "were" instead of "are".

"It's part of the long story I mentioned last night," Colby replied.

"I see. I guess it's a good think I like long stories then," Becca smiled.

There was a time when Colby would not have wanted to talk about Dwayne Carter with anyone, but he had dealt with a lot of the emotions surrounding that story since then. He had also come to the decision a while ago that if he ever entered into a relationship then he was going to be completely honest about everything he had done and gone through in the past few years. After going nearly two years lying to his co-workers and not telling them about his assignment regarding the Chinese, being truthful was the only way he could live now. "Maybe I can tell you tonight," he replied.

"Sounds good." Becca smiled. "I'm done with my paper work now, so I'm gonna head back to my hotel and change. I'll see you later."

"Okay, see ya. Oh, and Becca," he called.

"Yeah?"

"Dress casual."

"Will do," Becca said and headed for the elevator.

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Colby knocked on Becca's hotel door. He straightened out the black t-shirt he wore and tugged at the sleeves of his hunter green jacket. A minute later the door swung open and he was greeted with a smile.

"Hey," Becca said. She wore coral colored v-neck – which Colby thought emphasized her warm expression – and a black zip-up sweatshirt pulled over top. Her teal flip-flops nicely complimented the pair of dark colored jeans she wore.

"Hi," he replied. "Are you ready or do you still need a few minutes?"

"Nope, I'm all set." Becca stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her and they made their way outside. When they got to the car, Colby opened the passenger door for Becca. She paused for a moment and smiled at him.

"Ah, my mom drilled old fashioned manners into me as a kid," Colby said. "Once they're with you, they never go away."

Her smile widened and she got into the car. They drove into town and Colby parked in front of a pizza place.

"This is one of the best places in town," he said. "I hope pizza is okay with you."

"Hey, you can't ever go wrong with pizza," Becca grinned. "It's actually one of my favorite foods."

"You're not just saying that are you?" Colby questioned.

"I've yelled at you for 'taking' my parking place and have acted like a complete jerk towards you. I think at this point it would be safe to assume that I'm not just going to tell you what you want to hear," she smirked.

Colby laughed, knowing that was probably true and they went inside.

When they found a table Colby pulled out Becca's chair for her and she sat down. "What kind of pizza do you like?" he asked, taking a seat.

"Pepperoni and cheese," she replied.

Colby looked at her surprised. "Really?" he said.

"Yes, really. Is that a problem?"

"No. I just had you pegged as a veggie pizza kinda girl, that's all."

"Ah, no," Becca said, scrunching her nose. "That stuff has no place being on a pizza."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's _okay_ on pizza, but why would you _choose_ that when you could have plain old pepperoni and cheese?"

Colby chuckled and shook his head. "Whatever you say."

"Well, what kind of pizza do _you_ like?" Becca queried.

"I like pepperoni, but I'm more of meat pizza kinda guy."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

Colby smirked. "Alright, what do you usually drink with your pizza?"

"What do you think I drink?"

Colby squinted his eyes and looked at her as he thought. "Hmm…diet soda?"

"No. Don't you know that soda is bad for you?" she grinned. "I usually just drink water or iced tea with my pizza."

"Okay, so you don't like soda. I'll remember that."

Just then the waiter came over to their table. "Good evening. My name is Nick and I will be waiting on you tonight. Are you ready to order or do you still need some time?"

"No, we're ready to order," Colby said. "We're gonna have a large pepperoni pizza and a pitcher of raspberry iced tea."

"Alright," the waiter replied and walked away.

Becca raised her eyebrows. "How'd you know I like raspberry iced tea?" she asked.

"Lucky guess."

Becca smiled and shook her head.

Their conversation took on many forms throughout the course of their meal. Colby's laidback manner made it easier for Becca to relax and she felt safe letting her guard down more.

When Becca and Colby finished eating they exited the restaurant and made their way outside.

"Do you mind going to take a walk on the beach?" Colby asked once they had climbed into his car.

"No. That sounds lovely," Becca replied.

It didn't take long to drive to the beach and before long Colby was pulling into the parking lot and they were climbing out of the vehicle.

The scene on the beach was picture perfect. The setting sun left pink, orange, and yellow streaks across the sky and the blue water sparkled under the last of the daylight as its waves rolled up onto the sandy beach and then retreated back into the ocean.

Colby and Becca walked for a little while in silence, each admiring the scene and each enjoying the company of the other. After a short while, Colby reached over with his left hand and laced his fingers through Becca's. He looked down at her to make sure she was okay with this and she smiled at him.

"You know what?" Becca said.

"What?" he asked.

"I think I'm gonna really enjoying staying here."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "'Cause this whole walking along the beach at night thing is something I can picture myself really liking."

"Well, that's good, because I have been trying to find a beach walking partner for a long time. My mother will be thrilled to hear that I have found someone."

Becca chuckled. "Well, I'm sorry you had to wait so long."

"It's okay," Colby said looking down at her again with a tiny smile. "It was well worth the wait."

Becca's cheeks flushed and she turned her head away from him for a moment.

"Oh, don't hide," Colby smirked. "You look so cute when you're embarrassed."

This made Becca blush more and she stopped walking. She covered her face with her both of her hands, pulling Colby's left hand along with her right.

He laughed and gently pulled her hands away from her face. "Alright. I'm done embarrassing you now."

"Good," she said, but her cheeks remained flushed. "Because I think it's time to talk about you. We've talked about me quite enough."

He nodded. "Fair enough."

"So, now would be the perfect time to tell me your long story. If you feel like telling it that is," she added.

"I guess it's as good a time as any."

They found a dry spot on the sand away from the water and sat down. Becca kicked off her flip-flops and waited for Colby to start.

He was quiet for a moment as he tried to think of the best place to start. "About three years ago I was recruited by Counter Intelligence to work undercover for the U.S. as a triple agent," he began. "I was pretending to work for the Chinese as a spy for two years, which was during my time here at the FBI. I wasn't allowed to tell anyone about my mission though. The only person who knew what I was doing was my handler."

"Wow," Becca said quietly. "That must have been hard not being able to tell the team."

"Yeah," he nodded. "It was the hardest keeping it a secret from David, though. Out of everyone on the team David has always been the one that I've spent the most time with when I am off duty. I hated having to keep that from him, but it would have been more dangerous to tell him what I was doing."

"Would you mind if I asked why you did it?" Becca said after a short silence. "Why did you go undercover for all those years knowing that you couldn't tell anyone about it?"

Colby smiled a little. "I come from five generations of duty, honor, and following orders. Yeah, I had been in the Army, but going undercover was another way for me to serve my country. Of course, the fact that I was buddies with the traitor who started working for the Chinese also had something to do with my agreement."

"Your old Army buddy?" she guessed.

"Yeah. Dwayne Carter," Colby said. "We were stationed together in Afghanistan. One day we were out in a Humvee and all of a sudden an RPG hit us. Our vehicle just burst into flames. A piece of metal from the wreckage had wrapped around my arm and I couldn't get out," Colby said as he unconsciously clutched his right upper arm. His gaze became distant, as he seemed to be re-living that day. "I thought that was it. I didn't think I was gonna make it out of that Humvee, but Dwayne," he let out a little laugh, "he just climbed back in and somehow managed to get me out and pull me to safety. He burned his hands pretty bad in the process." Colby shook his head, "He was always doing something reckless."

"So what happened to him?"

"Well, to make a long story short, Dwayne started working as a double agent for the Chinese and I knew it. So, I went undercover and used him to help me weed out the top man in charge of the whole operation."

Colby told Becca the rest of the story, explaining how he got himself purposefully arrested along with Dwayne and how they escaped custody, all the way to how he had been tortured by Mason Lancer on the freighter.

"When the drugs Lancer had injected into me finally worked their way out of my system and I woke up in the hospital, everything and everyone had changed. Yeah, my team had rushed in to save me, but because of all the lies I had told them over the course of two years, they weren't really sure if they could trust me anymore. And then, when I found out that Dwayne had been killed on the freighter, once again saving my life, I didn't know how to feel."

Slightly confused, Becca asked, "What do you mean?"

"After Dwayne pulled me out of the Humvee wreckage, I always hated owing him for saving my life. Then, waking up in the hospital and finding out that even when he was dead that I still owed Dwayne Carter, I didn't know if I should be relieved that he was dead because he couldn't save my life anymore, or sad because he had been a friend. I'm still not sure how to feel sometimes."

They were silent for a moment.

"If it means anything," Becca said quietly, "I'm glad that he saved you."

Colby turned his head and looked Becca in the eye. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

Becca knew why, but she hesitated for a moment before answering his question. "Because if he didn't I wouldn't have met you and…you wouldn't be sitting here with me right now."

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Well, if that's the case then I am very happy he pulled me out, too."

Becca's cheeks flushed with color. She didn't know why she kept blushing. In order to hide her reddening face, she grabbed her flip-flops and quickly climbed to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Colby asked as he scrambled to his feet. He had of course noticed her blush and was grinning broadly.

She chuckled. "_I_ am going to continue walking down the beach before you embarrass me any more."

Colby caught up to her and slid his hand into hers. "Well, you better get used to it, because I plan on doing it a _lot_ once you move out here."

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

"Maybe I'll just stay in Virginia then," she mused.

He shook his head. "Mmm…won't do you any good."

"It won't, huh?"

"Nope."

"And why is that?"

"Because…I'll just go to Virginia and embarrass you there." The look on Colby's face told Becca that he was very pleased with his solution.

"I guess I can't get rid of you now then, can I?

"You're stuck with me now."

"Oh well. I guess I could have done worse."

"Hey," he replied and Becca only laughed. "I will have you know that is this weren't our first date that I would drag you into the water right now," he teased.

"Oh, you would?" she answered, her brows arching.

"Uh-huh. You get a free pass this time."

Becca laughed. "Thanks for that." She sighed and turned her head to look at the last remnants of color in the sky.

"Today was a long day," Colby remarked. "I bet you're tired."

"Yeah, sort of."

"Are you ready to go back to your hotel?"

"I probably should. It might be nice to get some sleep. I'll have to pack my stuff up at some point too I suppose."

"What time does your flight leave?"

"Not until seven-fifteen in the evening. Speaking of which, would you mind driving me to the airport?"

"Not at all. How about I pick you up a little early and we can grab something for dinner?"

"Sounds good to me."

"So, how long will you be gone?"

"Probably a few weeks."

He frowned. "That seems like a long time."

"Yeah, but I have a lot to do while I'm there."

"I suppose." He shrugged. "I've just kind of gotten used to having you around. I'll miss seeing you."

Becca smiled. She thought it was sweet that Colby was going to miss her that much. "I'll miss you too."

Colby smirked and tightened his grip on her hand. "Let's get you back to the hotel. I don't want to put you on that plane tomorrow half asleep."

They turned and headed back to his car, their linked hands swinging back and forth between them as they walked.

**A/N:**** Sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I have been pretty busy preparing for a lengthly trip. ****I hope you enjoyed it though and hope it was worth the wait. :) **

**Thanks to those who have been reading and reviewing. And if you haven't reviewed this story before, don't be shy. Go ahead and leave me a comment or two. I would love to hear what you think. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

There was a knock on the door and Colby jumped up to answer it. He wondered who would be visiting on a Saturday morning, but then realized there was probably only one person who it would be. As soon as he opened the door, his assumption was confirmed.

"Hey, David," Colby said. "C'mon in."

"Hey, man." David entered the apartment and they made their way into the living room to sit down. "Sorry for stopping by without calling first."

"Nah, it's fine. Actually, I'm glad you did."

"Oh, yeah?" David asked curiously. "Is this about a certain female FBI agent who just recently joined our team?"

Colby chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah," he finally admitted.

The excitement that came across David's face made him look like a kid on Christmas morning. "Alright, I'm listening."

The man from Idaho looked at his partner, trying to take him seriously. Eventually he pushed passed the child-like grin on David's face and told him about his evening with Becca.

"Wait, so you told her about Dwayne?" David asked and Colby nodded. "Wow…so I guess you decided that she was worth working through those complications then, huh?"

Colby laughed. "Yeah, she is definitely worth it."

David patted him on the shoulder. "Good for you, Colb. I'm sure it wasn't easy having to talk about Dwayne again."

"No, but I knew that I didn't want to try and build a relationship on secrets. I did that long enough with you and the rest of the team."

"You did what you had to then. So, is Becca headed back to Virginia today?"

"Yeah, I'm taking her to the airport a little later." Colby rested his head on the back of the couch. He let out a sigh and said, "It's weird, 'cause I haven't know her that long, but I'm gonna miss her, David."

"Oh, man, you've got it _bad_," David chuckled. "But I guess it's understandable. She's special, Granger. Don't go and mess things up."

Colby turned his head to look at his partner. "That's encouraging," he snorted.

"Just trying to keep things real."

"Yeah, well don't keep it _too_ real."

"I'll see what I can do."

* * * * Numb3rs * * * *

Colby pulled the car into the LAX parking lot and tuned off the engine. He got out and walked to the back car.

"I still can't believe you were able to pack all of your things in this one carry on," Colby remarked as he pulled it out of the trunk.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not saying _all_ women are necessarily like this," he replied closing the trunk, "but I've seen the way my mom and sister pack when they go somewhere. They would _never_ be able to get even a _third_ of their stuff into this bag."

Becca laughed. "Well, I will admit that my mom had to help me narrow my selection down just a bit."

"Just a bit?" he asked sliding his hand into hers.

"Okay, so it was _quite_ bit."

"The secrets out now," he said playfully.

"So it is."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," she laughed.

"You're welcome."

It took a while before they made it through the line where they got Becca's ticket, but eventually they were headed to the security checkpoint. Becca sighed, not wanting to say goodbye to Colby just yet, but didn't get a chance to voice her thoughts as Colby kept walking, entering the line with her.

"Colby, what are you doing?" she said.

"You'll see," he replied.

When they reached the first security guard, Colby reached into his pocket and stepped forward. "FBI," he said showing the man his badge. "I'm escorting this woman to her flight." He motioned toward Becca.

The guard looked at Colby's badge and nodded. "Go ahead."

"Thank you," Colby said and continued walking.

Becca shook her head and smiled. "I don't believe you."

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

They made it through security and headed through the airport until they came to the terminal where Becca's plane would leave.

Stopping, she looked down at her watch. "Made it just in time. They should start boarding people on the plane in a little while."

"That's too bad," Colby replied.

She smiled. "We do have phones you know. You can always call me if want to."

"And I probably will want to."

"As will I."

"Flight 506 to Richmond International Airport is now boarding," came a man's voice over the intercom.

"That's me," Becca sighed, looking Colby in the eye. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked curiously.

"For being genuine, and sweet, and yourself."

He smirked. "Any time." He moved closer and slid his arms around her waist, her arms wrapped around his neck as he pulled her into a hug. "Call me when you get home?" he spoke into her ear.

"Mhmm."

Colby pulled away from her. "Be safe."

"I will," she assured him. She started to turn away, but Colby reached out and stopped her.

"There's just one thing that you didn't tell me about the other night," he said. Becca did not seem to understand what he was referring to, so he added, "The kiss."

"Oh," she said, realization dawning. "_That_ thing."

He smirked. "Yeah. So, was that just to make Mr. Winters get lost, or was there something more behind it?"

"I wanted him to get lost…" she answered, letting her sentence hang.

"Then there was nothing more?"

She took a step towards Colby and looked him in the eye. "I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Granger," she said, remembering how he had kissed her back.

The smirk that had been on Colby's face faded away as he realized that Becca had turned the question back on him. "I, umm…"

A triumphant grin spread on Becca's face. "That's what I thought." She went up on her tiptoes and kissed Colby's cheek. "I will call you when my plane lands."

He smiled again. "I'll be waiting."

Becca walked over to the woman taking tickets and then made her way into the corridor that would lead her to the plane.

Colby smiled and watched as she disappeared down the corridor. _"The next few weeks better go by fast. I'm gonna miss her."_

**Epilogue**

The flight from Los Angeles to Richmond was uneventful. Becca left the plane and headed for the terminal exit where Jason had arranged to pick her up. Dragging her small suitcase behind her, she maneuvered through the crowds of people.

Eventually she reached the end of the terminal and began searching for Jason. Since it was almost 6:00am, there weren't that many people around, so it wasn't long before Becca spotted him coming towards her.

She smiled at Jason's appearance. His sandy blond hair was tousled and as he came closer she realized he probably hadn't shaved in a while.

"Becca!" he exclaimed as he wrapped her in a hug, lifting her off the ground. "It took you long enough to come back!"

She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. "I missed you too, Jason."

He set her back down on the floor, grinning from ear to ear.

"What's this, a new look?" she said, referring to his facial hair.

"No, I just decided to go on strike from shaving until you came home. Do you think I should shave it?"

"Well, it depends. Has it improved your luck with women?"

Jason chuckled. "No. The crazies are still after me."

She smiled.

"The rest of our team told me to say 'hi'," he added. "They were extremely jealous that I got to pick you up and not them. I'm surprised they didn't show up at my house and try to pile in my car."

Becca laughed. The guys she worked with really were like her brothers. So much so, that they even acted like it most of the time.

"Well, it's nice to know I'm loved," she replied.

"Yes, you are. And speaking of which," he added, "Are you planning on telling me about your new BFF or do I have to interrogate you?"

"No, I'll tell you whatever you wanna know on the ride home."

"So, you admit that he _is_ your new BFF. He's gonna have to fight me for that spot," he joked.

"Well, I will let him know that when I call him." Becca reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She pulled up Colby's number.

"Hello?" Colby answered in a gruff voice.

"Hey," she said looking at her watch; it was almost three o'clock in L.A. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

Colby cleared his throat. "No, it's okay. I was actually waiting up for you to call. I guess I fell asleep on the couch."

"You were waiting up?"

"Of course. I told you to call me after all. I knew it was going to be late."

"Well, that was very sweet of you."

"There goes my BFF status," Jason mumbled and Becca chuckled.

"Who was that?" Colby asked.

"Jason," she replied. "He says that you are going to have to fight him for his BFF status."

Colby laughed. "If your co-worker is _that_ jealous, I better watch out for your brothers."

"You would be correct. Okay, I don't want to keep you up. I just wanted to let you know that I made it safely."

"How long of a drive do you have to your apartment?"

"Not long. Only thirty minutes."

"That's good," he yawned.

"I'm gonna let you go back to sleep. You sound really tired."

"Alright. I'll call you later when I am more awake."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. Goodnight, Colby."

"Night, Becca."

She ended the call and put her phone back into her purse. "Sorry that took so long."

"It's okay."

"Alright, let's move out."

"Yes, Ma'am." They headed for the door and Jason added, "So…his name is Colby, huh? Start talking."

Becca laughed. She honestly had no clue where to start. Usually when that was the case, it was best to simply start at the beginning.

"The first time I saw him, I was mad at him for taking the parking place I was going to pull into," she said.

Jason turned to look at her, his eyebrows arching. "Seriously? Oh man, this is gonna be a good story."

They laughed in unison. It was good to be back, even though it wasn't for long,. The past few months had been hard for her, but everything had happened for a purpose. In the beginning she might not have been able to find that purpose in it all, but now she could see it and she wouldn't have changed a thing.

THE END

**A/N: Well, after many, many months, this story has finally come to a close. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I know I enjoyed writing it. :) Thank you so much for your continued reading and for the reviews. I appreciate the feedback!**

**For those of you who are wondering, I do plan on writing a sequel to this story. As of yet, I do not have a title for it, but when I do you can either find it here, or on my profile page. Again, thank you so much for reading! :D**


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